Healing the Feral Heart
by janurabi
Summary: Part 1 in the "Blood Is Thicker" series. A stunning secret is revealed by Shalimar's father just before he dies after the Naxcon explosion and all hell breaks lose. Story complete. First story, please R&R.
1. No Rest for the Wicked

"Blood is Thicker" series

Part I: Healing the Feral Heart

Plot summary: All hell breaks loose while Mutant X rescues a young mutant from Genomex agents; the mysterious young survivor of a safehouse massacre. A startling discovery forces Shalimar to deal with some hard realities regarding her family, while Genomex is bent on obtaining the young survivor and the team encounters a gang of terrorists who will go to any lengths to get what they want.

Disclaimer: No, alas, Mutant X and it's characters do not belong to me. They belong to Fireworks, Tribune and Marvel. However, the character Willow is my brain child and the basis for this little excursion into the fanfic universe. I've just recently got into the show, so my knowledge is a bit limited. What can I saw I caught the writing bug and was inspired to write. I know, I know, you're thinking Willow, hmmmm, well she's just ripping off Buffy, granted I like the name Willow and she definitely inspired it. The similarities stop there, because my Willow is nothing like Buffy's Willow. It would be the equivalent of saying Buffy is just ripping off Willow Offgood and so on and so forth. But there are many out there who think that Mutant X is merely a ripoff of X-men, so in short basically everyone is ripping off everybody and we all suck. So leave me alone! LOL. Some of the events of this story were inspired by the X-men movies, especially the safehouse raid. Well now that I got that out of my system, also, I took liberties with storylines and timelines for my own convenience. This is my Mutant X third season if Emma had of survived the explosion and Adam not disappeared. So go easy on me. This is my first piece of fan fiction ever. Please review. Any input, criticism (as long as it's constructive).

Violence warning: This is Mutant X we're talking about, so of course there's gonna be violence of one form or another. There are some disturbing images of mass killing and attempts at genocide (not alot I promise you), so if you are offended by that, then this isn't the story for you.

Feedback, suggestions and input are definitely welcome. You can send me feedback at janurabiyahoo.ca. Enjoy!

Chapter I - No Rest for the Wicked

_Mutant Safehouse..._

"No way man! No way!" Mattius shouted.

"What the hell do you call this?" Jade barked back, satisfied that she proved her case.

"I call that using your empathic powers. No using your powers while playing cards. It spoils the game," Landon explained, frustrated that Jade had won yet another hand.

"Hey, just because I'm that damn good, doesn't mean I cheat, alright. I won fair and square," Jade smirked.

"Fair and square my ass! No one's that lucky at poker," Landon sighed.

"Well, that does it. That's the last time I ever play poker with an empath," Mattius threw down his cards and got up, "I'm going for a smoke. Anyone care to join me?"

"Nah you go ahead," Landon nodded.

"Alright, suit yourself," He smiled as he left the table.

"Hey Matt! Hurry back so I can whip your ass at crib!" Jade laughed.

Mattius ignored the comment and ventured outside.

"Well guys and gals. I'm spent. I'm gonna call it a night," Willow yawned.

"Sweet dreams Willow. Don't sleep your life away," Landon joked.

"What about crib Willie? Don't you want in?" Jade asked.

"No thanks, you guys knock yourselves out. Enjoy yourselves and don't do anything I wouldn't do," Willow joked.

"Hey you know us!" Jade laughed.

"Yeah, like I said. Hey, Landon, if the riff raff gets out of hand you know whose door to knock on," Willow laughed back.

"Get going squirt. We'll miss ya," Jade threw a crumpled paper at Willow.

Willow smiled and retreated to her quarters.

Meanwhile, outside... 

The night was cool, but pleasant. The dock was quiet and he loved the sound of water although he hated getting wet. He pulled out his tin and pulled out a smoke. A bright flame emerged from his finger to light his cigarette and took he a long drag. He exhaled as if all his problems evaporated with the smoke.

Things were finally coming together and Mattius had finally obtained freedom from the GSA. Finally, he was with people he could relate to and he was beginning to love life again. Yep life was good and he knew he was among friends.

He smiled to himself triumphantly "I think I could even learn to love again". His thoughts dwelled on the beautiful Jade. A stunning empath with ebony hair and emerald eyes one could get lost in. And he did, he most definitely did.

He heard the sound of a can falling on the ground and he turned towards the direction that the sound emanated from. His attention was drawn to a pile of garbage just outside the safehouse. As he drew closer the garbage, his sense heightened as if ready for action, when a stray cat emerged from the pile. The black stray stared up at him curious as to his presence on his turf. His attention was diverted from a shadowy figured approaching by stealth from behind.

A quick jab to the back of the head and Mattius was knocked out cold.

The figure approached the now unconscious Mattius. "Bind his hands and blind fold him", the figured ordered. Then a bunch of dark figures came out of the shadows and bound Mattius and hauled him off.

"Is this the place sir?" One whispered.

"Affirmative. These are the correct co-ordinates provided by Sam. Move in," He ordered into a walky-talky.

Within seconds the safehouse was surrounded by fully armed soldiers in full attire or at least they appeared to be. Special Ops perhaps. What they were looking for was unclear.

"Alright men. You know the order. No prisoners, no survivors. Let's go" He directed his troops towards the entrances.

Inside... 

Willow was dead tired. It had been a long day and she was anxious to turn in. For three weeks she had been in the safehouse, she knew that the GSA was after her and she needed her rest. For over a year, she had been on the run from the GSA, hopping from city to city, trying to escape their never ending series of operatives and connections. Many nights she lied in bed pondering why they wanted her so badly. She knew that she couldn't stay in one place for too long and get attached to anyone, for fear that the GSA would got to any means necessary to find her. So she knew this night was her last in this safehouse, tomorrow she was gonna leave and try to contact the mutant underground, for she knew it was the safest bet. She pondered this as her head hit the pillow and closed her eyes for some much needed rest, when suddenly she was awoke...

BANG!

In the Main Room... 

"No body move! Get your hands up!" Barked the masked soldiers.

"Get your hands up!" The leader pointed a gun at Landon. "Don't move!"

The tension built in the room as soldiers piled into the room from all sides. Landon, Jade and a few other mutants stood side by side as they stood surrounded by guns.

"You picked the wrong place buddy, "Landon shook his head and punched the leader square in the jaw.

With that the room was full of soldiers and mutants fighting. The battle was fierce and Landon was right in the middle. Jade joined in, as did several other mutants who heard the commotion from the next room. But there was strength in numbers and soon the whole room was filled with armed soldiers who began to open fire on the mutants.

Willow ran from her room to see what caused the commotion. Her worst fears, as she suspected that the GSA was there for her. Her fear overcame her and she searched the room. Grabbing her bag she looked for a means of escape. Seeing an airduct in the ceiling corner, she quickly moved and jumped for the high duct. She quickly slipped through and swiftly crawled up the vertical shaft with the quickness of an insect. She crawled to the air shaft just above the battle and witnessed the carnage through a vent hole.

"Jesus Landon! They're coming through the walls!" Jade shouted as more and more troops began to overtake them.

"Something tells me this is a battle we can't win!" He yelled over the bullets, "Stop! We give up!" Landon threw his hands up in the air in surrender.

Bullet shells tore through his body and he dropped to the floor like a rag doll.

"LANDON!! NO!!" Jade shouted from behind the table she was using for refuge.

Tears overcame Willow as she saw her friend drop to the ground. She couldn't believe her eyes. No, the GSA would never pull something like this, she thought to herself.

"Hold your fire!" A voice came from the distance.

Willow turned her attention to the entrance of the safehouse. A bearded man wearing a black trench coat walked in amongst the soldiers and inspected the carnage. Then he turned his attention onto the surviving mutants.

"Line them up," he ordered.

The soldiers immediately took the survivors and lined them up against the wall. The man in the black coat turned to walk out and nodded to one of the soldiers as he past him. The soldier made a cutthroat jesture as the soldiers lined up in firing squad fashion and shot the survivors dead.

"My god, no..." Willow cried silently as she witnessed her friends all fall to the ground lifeless. She regained some rationality when soldiers started to pour gasoline all over the safehouse.

"Torch it!" Was the final order from the head soldier as he and his men turned to retreat from the safehouse. The remaining soldier lit the gasoline and ran out as the room immediately burst into flames.

Willow came to her senses and began to make a vigorous attempt to climb the shaft to the roof of the compound. She knew her only chance to get out was to jump into the bay. She frantically climbed out of the shaft with moments to spare and jumped off the roof into the bay just as the building exploded. As she came to the surface, she watched her temporary home go up in flames. She quickly turned and swam for the docks.

Sanctuary (Three days later)... 

Things had been thankfully quiet all week at the Sanctuary. Though everyone had survived the explosion at the Naxcon factory, Nicholas and Emma had both sustained heavy injuries. Nicholas, however, remained in critical condition, just barely clinging to life, while Emma suffered a bruised rib, a broken leg and a nasty blow to the head. Shalimar kept a constant vigil by both Emma and Nicholas, praying that she would not lose either of them. When Emma finally showed signs of coming to, Shalimar immediately ran to her sided and gently kissed her bandaged forehead.

"Wha...Shal," Emma mustered a small smile,"Where am I?". Emma tried to move but was gently pushed back down by Shalimar.

"No you don't...lie down, sweetie. You got banged up pretty good there. So I'm afraid you're gonna be bed ridden for a while. You had us worried for a while there kiddo," Shalimar said, wiping away some fresh tears, "You're pretty lucky you know".

"Yeah, well, I would think we all are," She joked, trying painfully to find a more comfortable position. Then she looked up to see Shalimar's tear-stained face and knew right away. "How's your father?"

Shalimar looked up at her and sniffled. "He ahh...well, it doesn't look good, sweetie. Adam can't do anything more for him. All we can do is wait".

Emma looked at her sympatheticly, "I'm so sorry Shal". She then winced as her head began pounding "Ahhhhh..."

"No, no, no. No mind reading today for you honey. You've gotta turn that off for a while. Like I said, you took a nasty blow to the head. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. But now I think it's time you relax and work on recovering. Go back to sleep, sweetie, I'll be here," Shalimar said as her nurturing instincts took over.

She stayed with Emma in her room until she drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Shalimar gently laid Emma's hand back down at her side and quietly slipped out of her room. She dried her eyes as she exited the room to find Adam waiting there for her.

"How's she doing?" Adam asked.

"She's fine. She's just sleeping," Shalimar sighed.

"Good. Well she's gonna need all the rest she can get, it's gonna be quite a long recovery. But I think we can all rest easy now that everyone made it out alive," Adam added.

"Yeah, I guess Emma was right; We where all lucky," Shalimar smiled.

Adam smiled and nodded in agreement.

"How's my father?" Shalimar questioned.

"Well, he's stabilized for now, but he's still in a comma. I think only time will tell," Adam shook his head.

"I'm gonna go see him, if you don't need me for anything," Shalimar said.

"No, go ahead. Any problems, Jesse and Brennen will handle it," Adam agreed.

"Thanks Adam," Shalimar said as she

Genomex... 

"Well, Mr. Larkin. Did you're men find the mutant?" Eckhart asked impatiently, "I judge from you're hesitation that the mission was a failure."

"There were...complications sir," a nervous Larkin replied.

"Complications. What kind of...complications," Eckhart asked slightly annoyed.

"It appears, that someone hit the safehouse before we did. The whole place was completely destroyed," Larkin responded.

"Any survivors?" Eckhart asked.

"Don't know sir. Our men swept the area and the bay and found no bodies, but they did find this on the other side of the bay," Larkin stated, presenting a spider-like mechanical devise.

"Hmmmm...well Mr. Larkin, it would appear our mutant is still alive, however, without this device, she maybe a tad bit difficult to trace. I want you to contact every ground agent we have and I don't want them to stop until she is found. Do you understand?" Eckhart instructed.

"Yes, sir. I'll get right on it," Larkin smiled and turned to leave.

"One other thing...are you absolutely sure that the explosion wasn't an accident?" Eckhart inquired.

"Yes sir. We found gasoline trails along the pier beside the wreckage," Larkin explained.

"If that's the case then it appears we may have a slight problem on our hands. Mr. Larkin, I want you to discover the identity of the ones who destroyed the safehouse. Whoever they are, they could present a possible threat to Genomex and this project. Find out everything you can and report back to me immediately. Understood?" Eckhart said.

"Yes, sir" Larkin left the room.

_Sanctuary..._

"Adam!" Jesse yelled.

Adam approached "What is it, Jess?"

"It seems I intercepted a top secret priority one GSA cable to all field agents," Jesse explained.

"Hmm...sounds pretty big. Let's have a look," Adam said.

Jesse projected the message.

"From the looks of it, they're searching for a new mutant. She must be pretty important. Willow?" Adam looked, "Brennen search the new mutant database for a new mutant named Willow."

"I'm on it," Brennen turned to the console.

Adam and Jesse gathered around Brennen and watched as he searched her name.

"Found her. Willow...Willow Fox," Brennen looked confused.

Both Jesse and Adam were taken aback by the name, not to mention the uncanny resemblance to Shalimar.

"I didn't know Shalimar had any mutant relatives," Jesse said awestruck.

"Come on Jess. Fox is a common last name. It could be just a coincidence," Brennen said somewhat dumfounded.

"I know but look at her Bren. I don't know, but the odds of that being a coincidence..."Jess replied.

"Agreed," Adam interrupted, "What else you have on her Brennen?"

"Okay, Willow Fox aged 15. Feral Class, Arachnid mutation, spider-like agility, ability to scale any structure, can jump high distances...also says she showed extreme acceleration in intelligence. High school graduate by age 12. Numerous suspensions and was almost expelled for hacking into the Schools main frame computer. Was skipped five grads after it was discovered her dilinquint behavior was attributed to boredom. Excelled in mathematics, chemistry, physics, technology and biology," Brennen read.

"Sounds like the next Einstein," Jesse replied quite impressed.

"Yeah, but I don't see how that would make her Genomex's Most Wanted," Brennen joked.

"Anything else Brennen?" Adam interrupted.

"Umm...no, no record of parents, family history, nothing," Brennen replied.

"According to this cable, she was in a mutant safehouse near the bay..."Adam hesitated.

"What is it?" Brennen asked.

Adam's look was of disbelief. "The safehouse exploded three days ago."

"What?!" They both said in unison.

"It says, they were gonna hit the safehouse when they came upon it in flames. The GSA seems to think it was a terrorist attack," Adam collected himself, "All the mutants inside were killed. But they believe she escaped. According to this she had a homing device implanted on the base of her neck that they found on the dock across the bay."

"Wow..." Brennen said.

"Yeah...Eckhart definitely didn't want this one to get away," Adam added.

Adam stood there and thought for a moment. "Well, I would say our top priority to find her before the GSA does. Brennen,I want you to monitor police scanners. Maybe, they've picked up on something."

"What about the safehouse?" Jesse asked.

"If my suspicion is correct and she was in that safehouse before it blew, she might know what happened there," Adam surmised. "Jesse I want you to monitor all GSA communications. The moment they locate her, I want you and Brennen to take the Double Helix and get her before the GSA does. I'm gonna log onto Proxy Blue and see if I can find out more about this explosion."

"What about Shalimar? Shouldn't she know about this?" Jesse inquired.

"She's with her father right now. I think that's the last thing..." Adam was interrupted.

"Bingo! I got something," Brennen shouted.

"Jesus that was quick," Jesse said.

"Well, my guess it doesn't take long for our little friend to find trouble," Adam smiled "What you got Brennen?"

"It sounds like some old lady called into the police station and reported seeing a young girl scaling the side of the old water tower," Brennen smiled.

"Are they responding?" Adam inquired.

"I think they're sending a patrol car out there to check it out, but I doubt they're taking it seriously," Brennen explained.

"Looks like the GSA's picked up on the transmission as well," Jesse warned.

"Alright you two. Move out," Adam ordered.

"Should we get Shal?" Jesse asked.

"No. You're responsibility is to bring her back here safe. I'll talk to Shalimar," Adam informed them.

End of Chapter One.


	2. Hard Realities

Chapter 2 - Hard Realities

"It's my fault. It's my fault they have her. Oh dear god..." came a weakened voice.

Shalimar had fallen asleep by her father's bedside and had been woken out her slumber by her father's cries. Drawing closer to Nicholas and taking his hand in her's, she tried to entice her father out of his state.

"Dad, dad. It's Shalimar. Can you hear me?" She sobbed, as fresh tears began to fall.

"Shalimar?" He slowly opened his eyes and slowly turned to her, "What...have...I...done?"

"I don't know...what" Shalimar was confused. Just then Adam came into the room. "Adam, I think he's coming to. He keeps repeating it's his fault and I don't know what he's talking about. Dad, what are you trying to say?"

"Shalimar, maybe we should..." Adam was interrupted by a stern voice.

"No, there's something she must know," Nicholas had come to his senses as if fate willed it, "Shalimar, you must listen. I don't have much time and there's so much to tell."

"What is it then?" Shalimar grew quick anxious.

"15 years ago, I made a deal with the devil...with Eckhart. Eckhart wanted new mutants to experiment with a procedure that Genomex was trying to perfect. A procedure that caused rapid brain growth sort of speak. It was a drug that caused the brain to learn 10 times it's normal rate. He wanted to raise a breed of super intelligent mutants. The most powerful and deadly mutants each with I.Q.'s over 165. Not only powerful in the body, but in the mind. The perfect balance of strength and intellect. Several new mutants became ticking time bombs and died as a result of the procedure. When the first batch of new mutants died during the experiments, Eckhart became obssessed with solving the problem. He became desparate for new test subjects. Idon't know if they perfected the procedure or not."

"So what's this have to do with you?" Shalimar asked.

"Eckhart, had approached me around the time your mother was pregnant with our second child," Nicholas explained.

"I remember Mom being pregnant. But she miscarried," Shalimar answered, in a confused tone.

"Listen to me. He offered me and Naxcon a huge contract with Genomex, if I gave him the baby," Nicholas replied, now overcome with guilt.

Shalimar's eyes widened considerably at this shocking confession. She knew where this story was heading.

"Without hesitation, I...I agreed to Eckhart's proposal. I...I was foolish and greedy, I didn't realize what I was doing...I deceived you and your mother into believing that the baby died at birth. The labour was unforgiving for your mother. She was in a comma for a week after your sister was born," Nicholas confessed.

"My...my sister?" was she could manage.

"The GSA had paid out the nurses on staff and arranged to collect the baby. On the night that they came to take her, I held her in my arms, rocking her, loving her, knowing I wouldn't see her again, but my thoughts were consumed with building a better life for you and your mother. GSA goons came into the hospital room where I and your mother were, had me sign my soul over and with that they were gone and I never saw her again. I lived the lie for over 15 years and now I can't die without telling you my sins. The most precious gift in the world...life and I sold it to the highest bidder," tears were now falling from Nicholas' eyes.

Shalimar backed away from her father's side and tried to process what she just heard.

"You have to find her Shalimar. If she's still alive and I'm certain she is. Especially if the Genomex corrected the problems," Nicholas coughed out.

Time slowed for an instant as a range of emotions were filling Shalimar. Absolute anger for her father's deceit and the pain that her mother went through following the "miscarriage", but mostly sadness for knowing that her own flesh and blood was in the hands of the GSA. The closest thing she had ever had to a sister was Emma and now upon learning all this, she yearned to find her and protect her, her animal instincts and loyalties were taking over, all for someone she had never met. She could never have anger for someone who was so innocent. Adam stood there silent and lost for words. He new that now wasn't the time to bring up the new mutant, but he knew that Shalimar had to be told. After hearing Nicholas' story, he was almost certain that this new mutant that the GSA were looking for, was who Nicholas was referring to.

"There is one other thing. One way to identitify her. She had a unique birth mark on her lower abdomen. It was dark with a slightly red mark in the middle, shaped like a spider. I never forgot that image, it has stayed with me all these years," Nicholas remembered.

Shalimar didn't want to hear anymore. She left the room with Adam in hot pursuit, leaving Nicholas to grieve on his own.

"Shalimar! Shalimar! Wait, I know this isn't exactly the right time to bring this up, but we need to talk," Adam pleaded with her.

"This better be important Adam," Shalimar's eyes flashed angrily.

"It's something that can't wait. And it might make sense of what your father just told you," Adam explained.

The old water tower... 

She knew it was only a matter of time before the GSA picked up her trail. She climbed to the top of the water tower, hoping to find temporary cover until she could plan her next course of action. Being high above the rustle and bustle of the city, allowed her to forget her troubles for an instant and calm her thoughts in order to think rationally. She sat and began to go into her thoughts...

"Well, well. The slippery little scamp is here afterall," a voice said.

"Your time has come, little one. Time to come back home to where you belong," another added.

She turned, startled, to see two GSA field agents approach her cautiously, pointing guns at her.

"Wha...how did you find me?" Willow asked, backing up slowly.

"That doesn't concern you, little one. All that matters, really, is that we found you and the reward we'll get when Eckhart has you back were you belong," the field agent laughed.

Her eyes flashed a glowing red, revealing her readiness for action.

"Now there's no need for that. We're not gonna hurt you. Just come quietly and we'll take care of you," the other field agent smiled deceivingly.

"Go to hell!" Willow yelled. She lept up in the air and kicked one of the advancing agents in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Oooooh, the cat has claws," the other smiled, making his move, grabbing her with his arm around her neck. She then elbowed in the ribs and swung around punching him in the face. She saw the opportunity to make her escape and ran towards the edge of the tower. Just as she reached the edge, one of the agents drew a tranquilizer gun hitting her square at the base of the neck, instantaneously knocking her unconscious.

"Come on, we've got her" one yelled to the other. One of the field agents picked her up and both began to make their way to the ladder of the tower...

"Hey! We saw what you can do to little kids, now let's see how you do with a grown-up," Jesse shouted, just as Brennen released a charge on the other agent.

The agent holding Willow, drew his pistol and began to fire on Brennen and Jesse. Jesse quickly deflected the shots and advanced on the now panic stricken agent who continued fire shots until his gun was empty. Jesse then dealt the agent a deadly punched, hitting him square in the face, knocking the agent out. Jesse took Willow into his arms, just as the agent fell to the ground.

"That's what you get for picking on little kids," Jesse snarled.

Brennen approached Jesse and looked at the unconscious girl. He pulled the dart from her neck and looked at it.

"Looks like she's gonna be out for a while," Brennen concluded.

"She looks too young to be fifteen," Jesse marveled at the small figure in his arms. It's true that Willow didn't look anything over the age of 12.

"Yeah, well we can discuss that when we get back to Sanctuary. Come let's get out of here," Brennen said.

Brennen and Jesse quickly made their way back to the Double Helix, evidently unaware that they were being watched.

Back at the Sanctuary... 

"So you're telling me this mutant could be who my father was talking about," Shalimar concluded. "How can you be sure of that?"

"We can't. Well, not until Jesse and Brennen bring her back here, so we can find out what the hell is going on," Adam explained.

Shalimar shook her head and stared at the ground, "This all seems so surreal right now. It's just too much for me to handle. I...I just find out that my father has been lying to me and my mother all these years, and now you're telling me you may have found her. I just feel like this is all a bad dream."

"Well, I wish it were, but unfortunately, this is the reality of the situation. And I know this maybe asking much, but I need you to pull yourself together. It's obvious the GSA wants her and her abilities. We have to make sure she doesn't fall back into their hands. Whatever Eckhart has planned for her, it's something big and she is possibly the key to what happened in the safehouse," Adam stated, trying to calm Shalimar down.

"I don't know, Adam. I just...I can't believe my father would've done something like this. I would've rather not heard it," Shalimar cried.

"I think you would've found out sooner or later. Fate has a funny way of bringing things full circle. My guess is that your father wanted to tell you himself and face the consequences, rather than have you find out some other way. Unfortunately, things like this happen more often than you would think. In desperate times, people can do things unheard of. I remember reading newspaper stories about parents selling their children for drugs, alcohol or other addictions. Money must of been your father's drug," Adam said.

"Yeah well, that doesn't exactly make me feel any better," Shalimar responded.

"I know. But I need you, the team needs you. No one can change the past, but they work the present to make the future brighter. You know you're father can't erase what he had done, but he's trying to find a way to atone for his crime. The rest is up to you," Adam explained.

"I don't know how I'm gonna handle this. How I can face her," Shalimar shrugged.

"I can't tell you what to do. You have to decided how you're gonna approach this situation. But just remember, it's not her fault," Adam reiterated.

"I know. I could never blame a child for the sins of their parents," Shalimar agreed. "I just don't know how ready I can be to face her."

"Just have faith and remember that we're all in this together. You're not alone. We'll find a way through this. That's what family is about," Adam added.

Shalimar smiled at him, "Family..."

"Adam. It's Brennen," a voice rang throughout the Sanctuary.

"We're here Brennen. What's the word?" Adam anxiously asked.

"We've got her. We arrived just as a couple of GSA goons were making off with her," Brennen replied.

"Good work. What's her status?" Adam inquired.

"Well, she's resting comfortably. She was knocked out with enough tranquilizer to put out an elephant," Jesse replied. "Apparently, they got some crazy idea that she wasn't gonna go quietly."

"Alright, bring her in," Adam said as he cut off communications.

Shalimar took a deep breath. "This isn't gonna be easy."

Adam smiled at her. "Since when has anything we've ever done been easy? We may need Emma. Lord knows when Willow wakes up, she's gonna be one confused kid. How long has Emma been out?"

"Oh about two or three hours," Shalimar replied.

"Good. From the sounds of it, our guest will be out anywhere from 6-8 hours, so we'll let Emma rest. God knows, I don't want to push her, but we may need her if things get out of hand."

"Well, if we're finished here, I have some unfinished business to take care of," Shalimar said as she stood up.

"Alright, I'll be here if you need me," Adam smiled.

Shalimar planted a small kiss on Adam's cheek, "Thanks Adam."

_In the Medical Lab..._

"Shalimar...When you left, I though you'd never come back," Nicholas said as he let out a huge breath.

"I almost didn't. Adam and I had a long talk. Besides if I didn't leave, I would've said something I might have regretted later," Shalimar said, unsure of how to approach the situation. Talking wasn't one of her strong suits and her mind was just swimming in emotions.

"I've been a fool. What I did to you and your mother was unforgiveable. I had to tell you, to try and make things right," Nicholas explained.

"What about my sister?! You haven't mentioned anything about hurting her. All those years, she was with Genomex, with those bastards doing god knows what to her!" Shalimar yelled. "I can't understand why. To break apart a family like that and lying to our faces like that. To do something that devastated mother like that. I don't I'll ever be able to forgive you for that."

"And I don't expect you to. I am ashamed for what I have done and could never ask for your forgiveness. All I can do is try to resolve the situation," Nicholas sighed struggling for air. "I never meant to hurt y..."

Just then Nicholas started to go into convulsions. Pain shot through him as his body shook uncontrollably. Shalimar quickly ran to his side and grabbed his flaling arms.

"Adam! Adam! I need your help in the Lab!" She yelled helplessly.

Seconds later, Adam came running into the lab. He tried to help restrain Nicholas. He quickly ran over to the monitors.

"His hearts failing! I'll try to stimulate him," Adam said. "Stand clear!"

Nicholas started to calm down, but there was no air coming out. Adam zapped Nicholas several times but he knew it was hopeless. Nicholas' body laid there silently with a devastated Shalimar standing beside him. Adam shook his head sadly and walked over to Shalimar. He gently put a hand on her trembling shoulder.

"I'm sorry Shalimar," Adam said sympathetically.

A grief-stricken Shalimar turned into Adam's gentle embrace and sobbed uncontrollably. The Sanctuary fell silent, except for the sounds of a grieving daughter, mourning the loss of something she thought she had finally found.

End of Chapter Two.

Hang tough people, Chapter Three is still being written.


	3. Reunions of the Feral Kind

Chapter 3 - Reunions of the Feral Kind

Location Unknown... 

Muffled screams could be heard across the old tattered hallways all the way to the old man's office. He continued to go about his business despite the constant racket.

Knock, knock...

"Ah yes, Mr. Carver. Come in. What do you have for me?" the bearded man inquired with interest.

"We picked up an encoded transmission from Genomex. Something about an escaped new mutant. Apparently was in the safe house we destroyed," Carver replied.

The bearded man became slightly agitated. "I thought everyone was killed!"

"So did we, sir. I personally accept responsibility for this mistake," Carver was now nervous. The bearded man glanced down and saw a folder in his hands. "You have something else to tell me, Mr. Carver?"

"Yes sir. Not long after, we intercepted a secret transmission from an unknown source. A transmission containing co-ordinates, I took a team out and followed the co-ordinates and took these surveillance photos," he said presenting the folder to the old man.

"Alright", the man said as he began to study the photos. "Two GSA field agents. This must be the mutant that escaped." He continuously flipped through the photographs and came upon a photo of Brennen and Jesse. "Who are they?"

"The subjects names are Brennen Mulwray and Jesse Kilmartin. The two are members of an mutant underground group called Mutant X," Carver explained.

"Mutant X...I've heard the name somewhere before. That reminds me," The man reached for his phone and dialed out. "Yes, bring in our guest."

A door opened and a guard entered escorting a confused looking Mattius. "Ah, Mr. English. So kind of you to join us. Please have a seat. Make yourself comfortable. Where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Samuel Augustine. This is my assistant Andreas Carver. He was just telling us about your friends, Mutant X. Are the implants working?" The man standing next to Mattius nodded. "Excellent! Continue Mr. Carver."

"The only other information we could find on Mutant X," Carver presented a list with the teams names on it.

Upon glancing at the list, Augustine's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, "Adam Kane. I'll be damned."

"There is one other thing, after the two mutants disappeared, the scanners picked up a powerful atmospheric distortion in this area." Carver added as he pointed to a slightly disfigured photo of the water tower. "Possibly a cloaking device."

"A ship? Hmmm...this could work to our advantage. Mr. Carver, round up your men. I have a small errand for you," Augustine smiled. "Now Mr. English. Where shall we start? Ah yes, I want you to tell me everything you know about Mutant X."

The Sanctuary (Medical)... 

Adam was examining Willow as she slept, unaware of what was going on. Jesse and Brennen stood beside Willow, as Shalimar walked in with Emma who was on crutches.

"Well, look whose awake. How are you feeling?" Adam asked as Emma smiled at him.

"I feel alot better. The headaches are gone so I guess that's a good sign," Emma said still a little groggy.

Shalimar slowly approached Willow, studying her. "So this is Willow." She was amazed on how much Willow looked like her at the same age. She looked over her face, cautiously staring at her features. Willow was a cute kid, small dimples on her cheeks, the odd freckle and flowing blonde hair with dark streaks. Remembering what her father told her about the birthmark on her lower abdomen, Shalimar slowly lifted her shirt up to reveal the spider birthmark. It was now confirmed in her eyes that this was indeed her sister. Not even bothering to say where she was going, she left the lab. Running into the garden, she began to sob uncontrollably. First losing her father and now seeing her own sister...sister, that she didn't even know existed, right before her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She turned, but her heart softened when she saw whom it was.

"Hey, you okay?" Brennen asked concerned. Shalimar just looked into his eyes and fell into his welcoming embrace. Brennen softly caressed her hair and rocked her, quietly whispering words of comfort into her ear.

"I don't know," Shalimar sobbed as she slowly pulled away from him. "Adam wants me to stay strong, but just looking at her...this is so much harder than I thought it would be."

Brennen nodded his head in understanding, knowing this wasn't the time to be offering advice, but rather just listening to a friend in need.

"I don't know if I can do this. I'm just so confused, Brennen," Shalimar cried as she sat next to him, needing his warmth and protection. Brennen embraced her again, "Shhhh, it's okay, Shal. I'm here; I'm not going anywhere. We'll get through this. I promise you. It'll be alright."

They sat down together after Shalimar had calmed down a bit. She was now more comfortable around Brennen. Although, she was more comfortable confiding in Emma, Adam needed Emma in the lab and she needed to talk to someone right away.

"You know, growing up, I always wanted a baby brother or sister. Someone I could protect and relate to. Someone I could share childhood experiences with. I didn't have very many friends growing up, everyone just kind of stayed away you know. I mean now, the closest thing to having a sibling where you, Emma and Jesse," Shalimar looked up at him.

Brennen gulped and looked at the ground for a second, then nodded in agreement.

"When mom and dad told me that I was gonna be a big sister, it meant the whole world to me. And when I thought she lost the baby, it was like my whole world came crashing down. It devastated me," Shalimar said drying her eyes. "And then my father telling me he sold her to Eckhart and making up a whole story about how she died and then living with it for 15 years, it was like being kicked in the gut. With him dying without being able to straighten things out, it's just too much. I just don't know what to do Brennen."

"Well, the only thing I can tell you now, is that your opportunity is here right now. You've just gotta take the bull by the horns and live in the present. She's here Shalimar. She's there in the lab. I think you know what you have to do. Just so you know, I'll always have your back," Brennen said as he took her hand in his.

She smiled at him and gave him a kiss. Time slowed as their eyes met, "You're right. I've just gotta do what I've gotta do. Thanks for being there. I don't know what I'd do without you." As she got up and straighten herself and walked back to the lab. Brennen sat there for a moment soaking in what just happened. He then took a big breath and exhaled and got up to join his friends.

"Well she checks out alright. She's got trace elements of the drug still in her brain cavities, but other than a slight case of malnutrition, she's okay," Adam said satisfied.

"God she looks so young. Are you sure she's 15? I mean she's so tiny," Emma said in astonishment.

"Yeah well judging from the shiners on those GSA agents, there's more there than meets the eye," Jesse responded.

"Could possibly be the drug. Nicholas said the drug had some unusual side effects. Well, I think it's time we move her to a more comfortable place to sleep. Jesse take her to the spare room down the main corridor..." Adam was just about to finish.

"No wait..." Shalimar interrupted, "I'll take her."

Adam looked at her and smiled, "Okay."

Shalimar looked at Willow and caressed her forehead. She gently picked up Willow into her arms and walked to the main corridor to the spare room across from hers.

Genomex... 

"No wait a minute let me guess. There were...complications," Eckhart was getting rather flustered and Larkin could tell, even through the videophone. "And may I venture a guess that Mutant X was that complication?"

"We'll get her Mr. Eckhart," Larkin reassured, "They can't keep her hidden forever."

"You understand Mr. Larkin, with Mutant X now involved, things have gotten a little bit more...personal. I want that mutant, no more excuses," Eckhart barked.

"Understood, sir," Larkin responded.

"Any word on the safehouse attackers yet?" Eckhart asked.

"Not yet sir. We're still conducting our search," Larkin said rather nervously.

"Time is of the essence. And I am getting rather impatient with your apparent lack of process, Mr. Larkin. Keep on the situation and let me know immediately of any developments. Don't fail me this time Larkin," Eckhart warned just as he cut Larkin off.

Sanctuary... 

"Adam, I've picked up an transmission on a unprotected channel," Jesse reported. "It looks like our terrorist friends are moving in on another safehouse."

"Which one?" Adam said looking at the transmission. "It's the one a the factory down on 5th Avenue. The question is why are they transmitting on an unprotected channel."

"They could have technological limitations," Brennen jumped in.

"Even so, how are they finding the locations to all these safehouses. I don't know, something here doesn't make any sense. Alright, Jesse, Brennen take the Helix and check it out, but be careful. I don't what's going on and I'd wager something isn't right with the situation."

Willow's room... 

Shalimar sat beside Willow's bed keeping vigil. Feeling mostly anxiety, she anticipated her waking up anytime soon, as it was over six hours since her arrival.

"She isn't awake yet?" Emma asked coming into the room.

Shalimar shook her head, "No not yet."

"I can tell you're really anxious. You haven't really left her side since she was brought in here," Emma smiled.

"I guess you could say I'm nervous. Don't know what she's gonna do when she wakes up. I doubt she knows though," Shalimar confessed.

"Have you thought about telling her?" Emma asked curiously.

"Yeah, I have. I keep rehearsing it in my head. But honestly I don't think now would be the right time. I mean it had me shell-shocked and with everything that's going on, I think it would be best to wait till this is all over," Shalimar reasoned.

Emma took Shalimar's hand in hers. "I'm sorry about your father, Shal. I know you were just starting to build a relationship with him. I'm sorry that got taken away."

"Thanks, I'm glad that you're alright," Shalimar said, hoping Emma wouldn't notice the subject change.

"Well you know me, takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'," Emma joked. Shalimar laughed quietly as Emma took a seat next to her.

Shalimar rolled up Willow's shirt and stared at the birthmark. She gently caressed it...just then a deep intake of breath startled the two women as Willow frantically rose from the bed and immediately took a defensive position at the corner of the room. Her eyes flashed red as she readied herself for a fight. Shalimar flashed her eyes back.

"Adam! We need you right away," Emma shouted.

With that Willow started to climb the wall of the corner up to the ceiling, never taking her red eyes off Emma and Shalimar.

"Willow! Willow! Stop we're not gonna hurt you," Emma said trying to calm down the confused girl.

Adam came running into the room. "Willow, please come down. We mean you no harm."

"You're gonna take me to Genomex aren't you? You're working for them. I'm not gonna let you take me back to them," Willow shouted down at them.

"Stop Willow! We don't work for Genomex. I'm Adam Kane, we're part of Mutant X," Adam explained.

Just then Willow calmed down a little and slowly crawled back down the wall. She kept her distance. "You're Mutant X. You're the ones the others were talking about."

"That's right. I'm Shalimar and this is Emma. We here to help you," Shalimar interrupted walking slowly towards Willow.

"You're a feral," Willow said looking intrigued at Shalimar.

"Yeah. And Emma's a psionic," Shalimar introduced Emma, as she smiled at Willow. Willow bowed her head in acknowledgement of Emma.

"So how did I get here?" Willow asked.

"Well, two Genomex agents were moving in on you. We intercepted their transmissions and intervened just as they were making off with you," Adam said.

Willow breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Adam, "I suppose I owe you my thanks."

"Think nothing of it. We have a bit of a history when it comes to Genomex. If you've heard of us, you know what we're about. We keep track of most of the safehouses and the mutants taking up residence there. We like to keep tabs on everyone, make sure everyone is safe. Which leads me to the next question, do you know anything about what happened in the safehouse you were in before it exploded?" Adam asked unsure of how to bring it up.

Willow looked at him, unsure of what to say, "I...I don't remember. I can't say."

Emma could tell she was hiding something, but didn't say anything as to not cause another commotion.

"Okay, well maybe it will come back to you in time. In the meantime, you must be hungry. Shalimar why don't you take Willow to get some food and we'll be along shortly," Adam said.

"Alright, come with me sweetie," Shalimar smiled at Willow as she led her out of the room.

Adam waited until they were out of earshot. "So what do you think?"

"She's definitely hiding something. I can't figure out what though. She definitely grew uncomfortable when you mentioned the safehouse, which suggests to me she does remember something but just doesn't want to say. Do you think she might have a connection with these terrorists?" Emma asked.

"I don't know. We can't assume anything right now. I'd like to think she doesn't. I don't see why she would. If that's the case then how did she end up here? Things just don't add up here, I think we'll know more once Jesse and Brennen get back" Adam responded.

Mutant safehouse... 

"Everyone line up! No one move!" Carver barked. A handful of soldiers stood aiming they're guns at a group of frightened mutants.

"I don't thinks boys!" Brennen shouted from the top of the stairs. With that he shot electricity at the soldiers, disarming them, just as Jesse jumped down and started fighting. Brennen jumped down from the ledge to free the mutants from their restraints, they all joined in using their mutant abilities to fight the now overwhelmed gang of soldiers. One mutant using their telekinetic powers and started hurling projectiles at the soldiers. Two others flashed their eyes and jumped soldiers and started tossing them around like ragdolls.

Hoping he would go unnoticed, Carver slowly started making his way to the exit, as most of the mutants were already preoccupied. He quickly exited the building and turned on a strange tracking device. When it beeped profusely he took off his beluclava and smiled. "Bingo."

Meanwhile the action had slowed to a grinding hault as most of the soldiers laid unconscious on the floor. Brennen and Jesse inspected the area looking for someone who wasn't knocked out.

"There's one," Brennen said as he approached the slowly moving form. "Oh no you don't. You're coming with us." Brennen forcefully turned the soldier over and hard a strange click as the soldier fell unconscious. Brennen saw his hand clasping something. He removed his fingers to reveal somekind of a detonator. He noticed a small running from the detonator to his chest. Brennen opened the jacket and saw C4 wrapped around his chest. "Jesus, Jesse we have to get everyone out of here! Hurry! The whole place is gonna blow!"

The mutants all ran up the stairs frantically and out of the safehouse followed by Brennen and Jesse. Seconds later the whole building exploded and was engulfed in flames. "Holy shit that was close!" Jesse shouted.

All the mutants stared at the flames. Some began to cry and others just looked on. "What was that all about?" One of them asked.

"That's what we're gonna find out," Brennen said in a determined tone. "Alright everyone, we'll take you someplace safe for now."

All the mutants followed Jesse and Brennen to the Helix and took off towards the city.

Augustine's Office... 

"Ah Mr. Carver. Please come in. I trust your errand was successful," Augustine grinned.

"Yes sir. They didn't know what hit them," Carver bragged.

"And the homing beacon?" Augustine added.

"Secured aboard their ship," Carver responded.

"Well done, Mr. Carver. How long before we know the location of this Sanctuary?" Augustine was growing anxious.

"Several hours, sir. The cloaking device is causing some interference with the trace, but once they land. We'll have co-ordinates of their location," Carver smiled.

"Very well. Once the co-ordinates are found we'll pay a little visit to our old friend Adam Kane and his band of merry mutants. Mr. Carver, I want you and your men to start collecting their things. It's moving day," Augustine laughed triumphantly.

"What's the plan sir?" Carver asked curiously.

"The plan Mr. Carver is I have a very interesting proposition for Mr. Kane. One I think he won't be able to refuse," Augustine grinned and approached Mattius, who was sitting across from Augustine, still in a trance-like state. "Thank for you sincere co-operation Mr. English, you'll be coming along for the ride, too. A creature such as you will be useful to us."

"What do you plan to do?" Mattius asked, in a daze.

"Let's just say common enemies can become friends overnight," Augustine winked.

"And if they don't agree to our terms?" Carver asked.

"Then they're an obstacle to achieving our goal. All obstacles must be eliminated. No exceptions," Augustine explained.

End of Chapter 3


	4. A Familiar Face

Chapter 4 - A Familiar Face

Genomex... 

"Mr. Larkin. I hope you've brought me something of merit," a rather impatient Eckhart said.

"You wanted me to keep you updated on the terrorist situation? One of our operatives uncovered some information about a secret terrorist cell operating just outside of New York City. Over the last 16 years they've been recruiting retired and discharged army personnel," Larkin handed him a photograph, "We managed to obtain this, the leader's name is..."

"Samual Augustine," Eckhart looked as though he had just seen a ghost. He sat there for a moment and pondered his next move. "Well, it seems the dynamics of the game have just changed considerably. Given the current circumstances, I'm afraid our business with Ms. Fox will have to wait for now. Right now, your number one priority is to put this cell out of commission. Take every last man available to this base. You are free to use any methods necessary, but bring Augustine back to me alive."

"Yes sir," Larkin said looking rather confused. Eckhart's mood had changed from irritation to fear. Larkin had never seen Eckhart like this and it was making him nervous.

"It is absolutely imperative that this mission is successful. A man as dangerous as Augustine would definitely make life more difficult for us. You are dismissed." Larkin left, leaving Eckhart alone. He looked at Augustine's photo again and felt a wave of anxiety go through him. "Well, Samuel. It looks like our paths will indeed cross again."

_Sanctuary..._

"So how long have you been on your own?" Shalimar asked as she served a couple of sandwiches to Willow, who was obviously famished judging by how fast the sandwiches disappeared of the plate. "Woa, not so fast. You're gonna make yourself sick." Oh, my god I'm starting to sound like my mother, she thought to herself.

"I've been on the run for about a year now. Basically, going from city to city, always making sure I'm one step ahead of Genomex," Willow said just as she gulped down a glass of milk. Shalimar smiled at Willow's somewhat innocent nature.

"Sounds awfully lonely. What about family or friends?" Shalimar was checking to see exactly how much Genomex would've told her or rather not told her.

"I've never been in one place long enough to make any friends. The last safehouse I was in, was the longest I had ever stayed in one place. The mutants there were pretty nice to me. I liked them. And family...well, I was raised at Genomex from the time I was a baby. So the concept of family is somewhat alien to me." Willow found herself somewhat intrigued by Shalimar. Oddly enough, she felt comfortable with her presence. She had her reservations about the others, but Shalimar seemed to be more understanding and gentle. She liked her.

Adam and Emma strolled into the kitchen to join them. "So Willow? How are you feeling?" Adam asked.

Willow took a deep breath and sat in her chair with her hands on her stomach. "Pretty full. A little tired too."

Emma gave her a strange look, "You just slept for 6 hours! How can you still be tired?" Emma smiled at her.

Willow just shrugged, "What can I say? That bed was pretty damn comfortable."

Shalimar smiled and got up, "Alright, I'll walk you to your room."

"Adam if I didn't know any better, I would say she's avoiding me," Emma looked at him puzzled.

"That's because she knows you're a psionic. Must be something she doesn't want you to know. You and Shalimar keep a close eye on her," Adam walked away from her. "I'm gonna go and finish up in the lab."

Willow's Room... 

"Thank you for the sandwiches, Shalimar," Willow said sincerely.

"You're welcome. Emma and I will be close by if you need anything alright?" Shalimar smiled back.

"Did you guys really mean what you said back there; you'd keep me safe from Genomex?" Willow asked with a look of hope in her eyes.

"Absolutely. You're safe with us. We will protect you," Shalimar reassured her.

"Thank you," Willow said as her head dropped down to the pillow.

Shalimar turned the lights off and left Willow to sleep. She turned as she reached the entrance to the room and smiled, "You're welcome."

Old Warehouse just Outside of New York... 

A couple dozen Genomex agents quietly surrounded an old warehouse. Larkin stood back silently directing the other agents into position, as they prepared to storm the building.

"We're in position, sir." Larkin turned and nodded as he adjusted his headset. "Copy that, move in. And remember Augustine is not to be harmed under any circumstances."

Larkin cautiously approached the door of the building. He directed the other agents around him as they surrounded the door. He held his gun up and kicked the door in. Swiftly making his way into the warehouse, the other agents followed.

The air was quite stale and moldy. Larkin quickly scanned the room, finding nothing but old bottle caps and rusty nails on the floor. The only light in the room was the daylight seeping through the boarded up windows that stood on either side of the door. Taking out his flashlight, he listened for sounds of life. When he heard nothing but silence, he looked at the others, each of them shaking their heads.

"Second unit, anything?" Larkin whispered into his headset.

"Uh that's a negative, sir," a voice came through on the other end.

Larkin sighed with frustration at the lack of activity. "Alright, stay alert. Carry on."

The air became denser, the further into the building they moved. Larkin heard a sound of a rolling bottle. Thinking that someone was there, he quietly made his way towards the room where the sounds were coming from. Quietly standing at the side of the door, Larkin readied himself. He quickly turned the corner into the room, his eyes frantically searching for the culprit. His eyes came upon an old desk sitting in the corner of the room. Quietly, he began to make his way towards the desk. Slowly, he leaned over top of the desk to get a closer look. A giant rat had taken up residence behind the desk and was intrigued with a beer bottle that was resting at the bottom of a chair. Unsatisfied with the discovery, Larkin shook his head and quickly left the room.

"Anything?" Larkin was now desperate for something. The agents all just looked at him dumfounded.

"Nothing, sir. All these rooms are completely deserted," one responded scratching his head.

"Squad two, what's your status?" Larkin asked, hoping they had better news.

"We just swept the second level. Nobody's home. There is some evidence to suggest there was some heavy activity taking place, but whatever happened here, I think we missed it." Frustration overtook Larkin as he contemplated what to do next.

"Alright, then, the area's clean. Everyone move out." Larkin clenched his fists in anger. "Damn!"

Sanctuary... 

"So what are you thinking?" Emma caught up with Shalimar in the dojo as she was doing some breathing exercises.

"I think you already know the answer to that," Shalimar smiled as she stopped to take a rest.

"Yeah, I know. I just want to hear you say it," Emma replied, sitting down next to Shalimar.

"Well, she seems like a sweet kid. Very smart, knows how to take care of herself. She looks alot like me when I was that age." Shalimar silently laughed at the thought. It was almost scary how much Willow reminded her of herself.

"I'm sensing there's a but in there somewhere." Emma looked at Shalimar waiting for an answer.

"...But, I think she also has a knack for finding trouble, even when she doesn't go looking for it," Shalimar smiled when she realized what that statement sounded like.

"Yeah, not unlike someone I know," Emma laughed. "From just meeting her and seeing her mannerisms, I'd say you guys are two of a kind. Although, I'd say she seems to be a little bit more refined."

Shalimar just laughed and shook her head. It seemed to be, from first impressions, an accurate statement. "Are you saying she's more sophisticated than I am?" Shalimar gave her a look. Emma sensed Shalimar's playfulness and smiled.

"You wouldn't dare. Not to an injured woman." Emma giggled.

"Just wait until you're feeling better," Shalimar warned.

"Ahem..."

Both girls turned to see Adam approaching them. "Sorry for the interruption. Jesse and Brennen are on their way back." His expression turned to one of frustration.

"What happened?" Emma asked, sensing the sudden change of emotion in Adam.

"The safehouse was destroyed." Both Emma and Shalimar had concerned looks on their faces. "Brennen and Jesse managed to get everyone out before it blew. Everyone's fine, which is the good news. Turns out when Brennen was gonna question one of the soldiers, he found the soldier had C4 strapped to his waste and in trying to rouse him, he triggered the detonator."

"Sounds like that was their intention all long," Shalimar was certain that there was clear intent to kill everyone inside.

"I know. Time's getting short and we need answers pretty quick. First off, what I'd like to know is who they are." Adam shrugged trying to make sense of what was happening. "Then to find out how they found the location to the safehouse."

"They must have someone working on the inside. That's the only logical explanation," Emma added.

Adam nodded in agreement and turned to Shalimar. "We need Willow's co-operation. If she knows anything about what happened in that safehouse, we need to know. I have a feeling our lives may depend on it."

Just then a shattering scream rang through the Sanctuary. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Stop it! Stop!" All three looked at each other. Shalimar and Adam ran to Willow's room, Emma grabbed her crutches and rushed to join them.

Willow was having a violent nightmare and thrashing about in the bed. Shalimar instinctively ran and jumped on the bed next to her to rouse her out of her sleep. "Willow wake up! It's just a nightmare! Your safe!"

"They killed them all! Every last one! They killed them all!" Willow yelled, her eyes still closed. With a sudden jerk, Willow threw herself up, to wake herself. Feeling confused, she looked around frantically to remember where she was.

"It's okay Willow, we're here. You were just having a nightmare," Shalimar said as she brushed stray hairs out of Willows face. Willow had finally calmed herself down and Adam new it was time for her to share what she knew.

"Willow, I think it's time you told us what happened in the safehouse." Adam spoke gently as to not let Willow think she was in any trouble. Willow looked at him, quite unsure of what to say.

Emma approached Willow and took her hand, feeling somewhat relieved when she didn't pull away. "Willow? Please help us. The more you can tell us, the more we can help you. Okay?"

Willow thought hard for a moment and realized there was no point in arguing. "Alright." Pulling herself to the side of the bed, she sat and faced Adam. Shalimar sat beside with her arm instinctively around her shoulder.

"We were playing poker, a few of the others and myself. Landon, Jade and Matti. They were the three I was closest to. I'd spent about three weeks there. I don't usually stay in one place for that long and that was suppose to be my last night there. I had become closer to them then I had intended and I didn't want them to be used as pawns against me. Anyways, I was tired so I left the three them playing, well Matti went out for a cigarette and they were gonna wait for him to come back to play some more." A tear escaped Willow's eye as she gently wiped it off her cheek. "I went up to my room and packed my belongings. Everything I own in the world is in that bag there." She pointed to the tote bag sitting in the corner of the room. "I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a lot of racket coming from downstairs. There was shouting going on, so I went to peak through the door to see what was happening."

Shalimar's hold on Willow tightened, as she was struggling to continue.

"The whole lower level was full of soldiers. They were all dressed in black army gear and wearing ski masks to cover their faces. I thought the GSA had found me. I panicked and grabbed my bag. There was a lot of gunfire coming from downstairs. I was looking for a way to escape. There was a ventilation shaft in the corner ceiling of the room, so I crawled through it. I guess the shaft led directly over the lower area, cause I can upon a small hole in the shaft as I passed over them." She began to sob.

Adam approached Willow and kneeled before her, placing his hand on her knee in support. Willow regained a little composure and continued.

"I saw Landon and Jade taking cover behind a table. Landon got up and tried to stop the fight and...they...they shot him." Tears were falling freely now, as Shalimar tried to console her. "Jade screamed his name and was shot as she tried to pull back behind the table. When all of a sudden the fighting stopped. I saw a tall, dark man dressed in black, walk into the room. I think he had a beard or something. He said something to one of the soldiers and then walked out. They lined the survivors up against the wall and shot them all." Willow was really struggling now. Overcome with emotion she stopped for a minute to pull herself together. "They started rolling in gas cans and began to pour gasoline all over the place. On the bodies, everywhere. Then they all left and someone lit the gasoline. The whole place was up in flames in seconds. I knew the only chance I had was to get to the roof and jump into the bay. I made it with seconds to spare and swam to the other side of the bay."

The whole room was silent as all three tried to ingest what they just heard. Emma shook her head and stared at the ground feeling overwhelming sympathy for this poor kid.

"I was a coward. I didn't help them. I just sat there watched those men kill my friends. I should've done something," Willow cried, as Shalimar hugged her.

Adam patted her leg. "You did the only thing you could. There's no shame in that. If you would've tried to help them, you would've been killed too."

Willow looked at him. "Then why do I feel so guilty?"

"It's natural to feel that way, especially when you feel helpless. You did the best possible thing you could. You lived to fight another day," Adam smiled sympathetically.

Willow nodded and rested her head on Shalimar's shoulders. Adam thought of an idea ,"Willow. Do you think you could identify the man if you saw him?"

She pondered this for a few seconds. It was quite difficult to make out the man's features except for the beard, but it might be worth a shot. "I might be able to."

"Okay, Shalimar and Emma, you stay with Willow and I'll go onto the database and find profiles on employees of Genomex, Army, Marine, or anything related." Adam got up to leave the room.

"Don't you think that's a bit of a shot in the dark?" Shalimar asked, unsure of what Adam expected to find.

"Maybe, but you gotta start somewhere."

End of Chapter 4.

Chapter 5 is gonna be a longer chapter, so it may take sometime to write. I'm slowly trying to tie everything together and this chapter will do that. So be patient, it will be here soon.

I also noticed there's something wrong with the chapter advance going to chapter 5. Instead use the little chapter advance arrow beside the chapter listing, I find that seems to work.


	5. Uninvited Guests

Chapter 5 – Uninvited Guests

Sanctuary...

"Okay, Willow. The screen is gonna show you faces of members of different government groups, including Genomex. If you recognize any of these individuals, just say the word," Adam sat at the monitor with Willow sitting beside him. Shalimar and Emma stood behind them.

Different faces continuously flashed on the screen as Willow watched, determined to find the man responsible. Just then Jesse and Brennen came into the lab.

"Hey! You guys alright?" Shalimar gently rubbed Brennen's shoulder.

"Yeah, we were pretty lucky. Just got out with seconds to spare," Brennen shook his head in relief. "We dropped the other mutants off at the club safe house. They should be alright for now."

Willow turned around to meet Brennen's eyes. Her eyes filled with uncertainty as she stared at both Jesse and Brennen.

"Oh, Willow, this is Brennen and Jesse. They were the ones who rescued you from the GSA." Adam broke the ice for them.

Brennen gave her a gentle smile and extended his hand. She took his hand. "Thank you, both," She said shaking Jesse's hand as well.

"It's not a problem," Brennen smiled.

"Brennen's an elemental and Jesse's a molecular." Adam pointed out.

Willow nodded. "Wow, I see you have all your bases covered. All four groups. Must create a good balance."

"That's right. Each according to their gifts." Adam nodded in agreement.

Just East of Stormking Mountain...

"Well Mr. Carver. Are all the preparations in order?" a very anxious Augustine asked.

"The Sanctuary has a highly sophisticated security system. It will take some time before we can figure a way around it." Scimming through layouts of the Sanctuary's interior on a laptop, Carver quickly started looking for weaknesses.

"Alright. Once Mr. Carver finds a way to penetrate the Sanctuary's defenses, we will wait until nightfall to enter. I want them all alive. Anyone who kills any one of them will answer to me," Augustine turned to his men, anxiously awaiting the opportunity. They nodded in agreement. They craved action and breaking into the impregnable Sanctuary was a challenged they relished.

Back in the Sanctuary...

"So none of those faces ring a bell to you?" Adam was hoping the photos might have helped, but unfortunately they remained at square one.

Willow shook her head, a little bummed she couldn't be more help. She knew that things were serious and anyway she could help to bring down these men, was fine by her. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help Adam. What do we do now?"

Adam paused a moment to determine the next possible course of action. "Well, I think the best thing we can do now is wait until these guys make their next move. Unfortunately, their next move could be a more deadly one, but until we have more answers, we don't have a leg to stand on."

"What's gonna happen to me?" Willow shrugged. Shalimar walked up to her.

"Well, we'd like you to stay with us for a while. It's probably the safest place for you right now." Shalimar smiled putting a hand on her shoulder. Willow looked up at her and nodded.

A frantic Jesse interrupted their moment. "Adam! We have a problem! Someone's trying to hack into our security system."

"Can you locate the source?" A concerned Adam looked at Shalimar and Emma.

"No, I can't get a positive trace. They're using a scrambled frequency." Jesse wasn't sure what to do next.

Willow looked at Adam. "Let me try. I think I might be able to help." Willow moved closer to the computer. "Okay, here's the transmission. They're pretty close to shutting down your security system."

"Can you jam the signal?" Adam was intrigued by Willow's knowledge.

"I can try. They're transmitting on an encoded frequency. It may take a few moments."

Several moments passed, when Willow shouted in triumph. "I've got it! Okay, the source of the transmission is 2 miles east of here at this point."

"That's impossible. How did they find the Sanctuary?" Adam was stunned at this revelation. Emma and Shalimar both looked at one another. Both Jesse and Brennen ran into the room. "Okay, Willow's established a source trace. Brennen, Shalimar and Jesse, I want you to go out and find whoever's responsible. Did the jam work?"

"Well, it's only a temporary one. It'll keep them busy for about ten minutes. I disguised it as a minor bug, so they won't suspect that we're onto them. At least, for now."

"Good work." Adam looked over at Shalimar, who nodded back at him in agreement as the three left the room.

East of Stormking Mountain...

"Uhhh, sir. We have a bit of a problem. It appears that we've picked up a bug. I'll have to reboot the system." Carver looked up at a rather impatient Augustine.

"How long will that take?" Augustine looked at him.

"It take about ten minutes to restart the system. Then we'll be back where we started." Augustine was rather annoyed at this news, but in his mind he knew that patience was a virtue.

Augustine turned as if he sensed someone was approaching them. He quietly called over his lieutenant and whispered something into his ear. The lieutenant turned to some of the men waiting and motioned into the woods. Several of them got up quietly and followed him into the bush.

Somewhere Just West...

"It's not far guys. Willow said the source of the signal is over that ridge." Shalimar motioned just ahead of them.

"So what do you think?" Brennen asked curiously awaiting Shalimar's reply.

"Think of what?" Shalimar tried to play dumb.

"Willow. What do you think?" Brennen repeated wanting to see how Shalimar was dealing with the situation.

"She's cute. She seems like a pretty smart kid." Shalimar stopped and looked at both Jesse and Brennen. "She doesn't know."

"That was pretty impressive, what she did back there. The kid certainly knows a thing or two." Jesse was a little bummed at being bested by a 15-year-old, but he was still impressed none the less.

Shalimar looked ahead. A small smirked crept up onto her face. She felt the pride of a big sister. That's my sister, she thought to herself. "Yeah, that was." Shalimar stopped dead in her tracks and her eyes flashed yellow. "Somebody's coming this way."

Brennen and Jesse looked around them. "From which direction Shal?"

"I can't lock in on their scent. It's almost as if they're being protected by something or someone. I can just sense their presence."

"Alright. Stay alert guys." Brennen said as Shalimar led them towards the ridge.

Just then a group jumped out, guns pointed at them. "Don't move or we'll shoot!"

"We gotta stop meeting like this." Brennen fired an energy blast at the soldiers, sending them flying. One of the soldiers fired a shot at Brennen just as Jesse jumped in front of him to deflect it. Shalimar did a forward flip kicking the soldier, disarming him and then punched him. Her eyes flashed yellow as the soldier got up and lunged at her. She grabbed his arm, flipping down onto the ground.

"Stop!" a voice yelled, as Augustine came out from behind the ridge. Brennen fired another energy shot directly at Augustine. He extended his arm and deflected the energy, as if catching it. "That was a very ill-advised move, Mr. Mulwray," he said as he sent the energy blast back at him, knocking him down.

Jesse went running at him. Augustine turned to him and as if his arm became extended, raised Jesse high into the air. He pulled Jesse towards him, lowering him to the ground abruptly. He grabbed Jesse by the neck, choking him. Brennen rose gingerly from the ground and fired another blast at Augustine. He swiftly rose his other hand, catching the energy in his hand and pointed it at Jesse's head.

"I'd advise you to stop. Otherwise, his death will be on your hands." Shalimar was about to make a move on Augustine, but stopped in mid stride. "Good. Now we can get down to business."

"What do you want with us?" Shalimar demanded, her eyes never leaving him.

"Shalimar! Brennen! Jesse! Anyone?! What's happening?" Adam's rang through their com rings.

Augustine registered the voice and smiled. "Adam Kane! Do my ears deceive me? Well, well, it's been a long time."

Adam stood motionless in the Sanctuary, as Emma and Willow looked on. "Samuel Augustine."

Augustine smiled at the reply. "It seems you haven't forgotten me."

"What's your business here? What do you want?" Adam demanded.

"You've mistaken my intentions Adam. I merely want to chat, man to man." Augustine smiled. "As you've probably guessed, I have your team in custody. Let us in and they won't be harmed."

"And if I don't?" Adam knew the answer before it was asked.

"Then I'd say a rebuild will be in order."

End of Chapter 5

Okay, this chapter was a little shorter than I intended, but it just made sense to end the chapter here and go on to chapter 6.


	6. Sanctuary Under Siege

Chapter 6 – Sanctuary Under Siege 

_The Sanctuary..._

"My, my Adam. I must compliment you. You have quite the little operation going on here." Augustine smiled as he and his men made their way into the main hall. He looked upon the team standing before him, but suddenly frowned. "The young mutant you had with you, where is she?"

Emma cleared her throat. "She was less than co-operative with us. She ran off before we could bring her back here."

Augustine eyed her suspiciously. "Is that a fact? Well, that's too bad. She's missing out on all the fun." As he turned his back to her, she looked toward an airshaft just to the side.

"How did you find the Sanctuary?" Adam was furious.

"You'd be surprised how far a simple homing device will go," Samuel smiled at Adam as they all looked at each other.

"So the attack on the safehouse was a rouse to draw us out." Jesse concluded. Adam shook his head knowing he should have trusted his instincts.

"Indeed." Augustine nodded.

"What do you want with us you bastard?" Shalimar grew inpatient.

"My dear, Shalimar. You are in no position to demand anything. It is a long story, however, I can see you aren't going anywhere." He smiled touching her chin. She quickly pulled herself away and snarled. "You have a lot of fire. I like that. Well then, shall we get down to business? You're probably wondering about our unexpected visit. I'm here to make you an interesting proposal."

"And what makes you think we'd agree? You've killed innocent people and for what? What's this sick little game you're playing?" Adam eyed him.

"You have us all wrong, Adam. We have no personal vendetta against mutants. That whole safehouse situation was to get the GSA's attention, but I guess I got yours as well. I want to personally thank you for saving my son's life. The cancer would've eaten him alive, if it weren't for you research. Truth be known, he became 'gifted' as a result of your treatment. He acquired astonishing telekinetic powers."

"So this is some personal grudge against me?" Adam looked at him, figuring the mutation was the reason why they had come.

"My dear friend. Please let me finish my story. It's rude to interrupt. Besides, you're wrong again. My wife and I were grateful that Grant's cancer had been cured. And the power he acquired from your treatment was a side effect, but to us it was a small price to pay for his life. No, it's not you. My beef is with Genomex." Augustine turned, to catch the look on Adam's face.

"Then why did you destroy the safehouses. You killed 16 new mutants and you could've killed more, if we hadn't intervened." Brennen spoke up.

"Patience, my friend I was just getting to that." He approached the group and slowly circled around them. "Are you familiar with the Cocoon Project?"

Adam looked up at him and shook his head. Augustine smiled. "Of course not, it was deemed classified. Only the top brass at Genomex knew about it and you defected before the project came to be. The Cocoon Project was highly dangerous experiment involving new mutants. Dr. Leo McAllister proposed it to the board of directors. Are you familiar with the name?"

"Yes, he was involved with the Walker Project." Adam put two and two together.

"Correct. The proposal was to take a highly experimental drug called xenocium and inject it into a living host. The purpose of the xenocium was to increase brainpower ten fold. You see, the average human being uses about 1 percent of the brain. The xenocium increases that to anywhere between 10 – 15 percent, in some cases more, giving the subject intelligence high above a genius I.Q. The board of directors agreed to the proposal giving McAllister the go ahead to begin his experiments."

"And as head of security, you knew about the project," Adam concluded.

"Yes. It was my obligation to know everything that Genomex was doing. It was deemed highly classified by the GSA. Only the scientists working on the project and top security officials knew about it. Mason Eckhart personally signed off on the project."

"That still doesn't explain all this." Adam shook his head.

"The GSA obtained the assistance of 12 new mutants for the experiment, most of them were psionics. Grant was one of them. I was a fool. I had assurances from Eckhart, himself, that the drug was perfectly safe and that Grant had a bright future at Genomex. Believing him, I let Grant become involved. I was a different person back then, I was so sure that Genomex was gonna lead the world into a new era and I wanted to secure my future with them. If I only knew then, I wouldn't have let it happen." Augustine looked at the ground in shame. "What Eckhart failed to mention was that the drug was highly unstable. It becomes volatile once it enters brain tissue. At first, the subjects seemed to respond well to the doses. Their intelligence increased at a highly execrated rate. Their problem solving was extraordinary. Every problem, every scenario, even no-win situations, were but a speck of dust. Grant had become a genius, as well as the others."

"But they all paid the price for it," Shalimar began to understand where this story was headed.

"Yes. Almost as quickly as they acquired the intelligence, their brain tissue started breaking down." Augustine developed a lump in his throat as he struggled to continue. "Grant...lost consciousness and never woke up. The xenocium ate threw his brain tissue until there was nothing left. He died a week later as a result. All the new mutants died."

"And you blamed Eckhart," Adam added.

"I still do. He took my son away from me! Everything I believed Genomex to be was a lie. But naturally, as all government agencies tend to do, they tried to compensate for the loss, by buying me out and giving me their most sincerest apologies. It destroyed my wife. I tried to explain to her what happened, but she went mad. She left. Not more than two weeks later, she took her own life." Augustine stared blankly at the ceiling. "Not that I blame her really."

"What happened after that?" Emma asked.

"Money. There comes a time when the green loses its luster and all that's left is a father's love for his child." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vile. "This small vile is what killed my son. Just this small amount. I stole a sample of it before I left Genomex. I keep it as a reminder of what came to be."

"These powers that you have. You're a new mutant?" Jesse and the others looked confused.

"Ah, yes. Another interesting outcome. Several years after the incident of the Cocoon Project, I went into seclusion. I was at the end of my rope. On the anniversary of Grant's death, I honored him, by drinking the xenocium, hoping that it would do to me what it did to him. It appears the xenocium has a less deadly impact on none mutated genes. My mind expanded, I acquired powers unheard of. I was reborn. I heard my son cry out from beyond the grave for vengeance. I found myself instilled with a new purpose, to see that Genomex was brought down and Mason Eckhart made to pay for his crimes. I spent many years building up a team of soldiers, friends and officials that owed me. They gladly joined my cause. And now you see before you, the end result." Augustine motioned to the soldiers surrounding them. "Which brings me to my proposal. I know of your exploits against the GSA, valiant indeed. Join us in our crusade. All of you would be valued assets."

"We can't do that Sam," Adam shook his head, knowing that Augustine had become twisted.

"I beg you not to be so hasty with your decision. There is no other option. But since I owe you for saving my son's life, I will allow some time to collect your thoughts and come to a more rational decision." Augustine turned to Carver as he approached them. He showed him a piece of paper and Augustine smiled. "Ah yes, that will do nicely. Take them. Make sure they're well guarded. I advise you to think about the future Adam and chose your allies carefully."

The soldiers escorted them away.

_Somewhere in the air ducts..._

Willow was stunned completely by what she heard. She sat there for several moments trying to process Augustine's story. _Is this stuff inside me?_ she thought to herself. She shook off the thought and tried to figure out a way to get out. She watched as the soldiers led the others away and noted the direction they were being led away. Her thoughts were interrupted by something unexpected.

"Well Mr. English. I have to thank you for all your help. You have proven yourself to be a valuable commodity." Augustine said as Mattius came into view.

Willow was taken aback. "Mattius?" She shook her head in disbelief. _No, how could this happen _she thought.

"What if they don't agree with your proposal?" He asked as he approached him.

"Well, you did didn't you? I would've rather hoped that they would've agreed willingly, but if all fails, I will acquire their services one way or another. The implants we used on you will take to them just as well. The only one I'm concerned about is Ms. DeLauro. I sense that she has a strong mind. It will difficult for her to take to the implants." Augustine shook his head as he turned to Mattius. "If the implants don't take to her, she will have to be disposed of."

Knowing she had very little time to waste, Willow began to make her way through the air duct towards the area that the soldiers took her friends. There was no way she was backing down from this one.

_Inside the holding cell..._

"Augustine. I wouldn't have thought. He was a well-respected man when I was at Genomex. He's a retired general, very respected among his peers. Which would conceivably put him into a position to select men who were willing help him in his cause," Adam sat there feeling somewhat defeated. He knew they were in a holding cell that was rigged to hold in any kind of mutant. "The only way we're getting out of here is if someone were to let us out."

"Which brings me to my next question, where did Willow take off to?" Shalimar was concerned as to her sister's whereabouts.

"She took after after Augustine answered through the com ring. My guess is she found a way outside of the Sanctuary," Adam sighed.

"No. She's still here. I sensed her presence in the room when we were taken," Emma said. "She's somewhere in the air ducts."

"Well, even if she were to escape from here, it's unlikely she would be able to bust us out of here," Brennen concluded.

"Don't sell her short Brennen. This little mutant's full of surprises, I just hope that she does what she has to do," Adam responded.

_The air duct outside the rig..._

Thanks to her feral senses, Willow was able to track their scents to the holding rig. The air duct was sheltered from the guards by some fuel tanks just parallel to the door. Now she had to figure out how to dispose of the guards before they were able to alert Augustine of her presence.

Quietly she opened the air duct and without making a single peep, she slipped behind the fuel tanks. Ducking behind them, her eyes frantically searched for a solution. Looking down she found a stone lying quietly at her feet. She picked it up and kissed it. She slowly peaked over the tanks and planned her next move. Taking the rock in hands, she instinctively threw and heard it land on the other side of the corridor.

"What was that?" One of the guards looked, as he left his post to follow the sound.

With the guard's backs turned to her, she saw her opportunity. Her eyes flashing red, she used stealth to sneak up behind the guards. She snapped one's neck and kicked the other in the groin before he could radio for backup. Taking a second shot, she punched him knocking him out cold.

Looking down at the two guards, she smiled and shook her head. "Gets 'em everytime."

She quickly turned her attention to the door separating her and the others. Seeing a numerical door lock she shook her head and smiled, "Numerical lock. Great. Just another day in the life right? Sound proof too I'd imagine."

Working fast, she tore off the front panel, revealing a bunch of colored wires. She snapped a wire in half and joined it with another. She then replaced the panel and typed in a numerical code.

_Inside the rig..._

"Someone's coming," Emma said as they all rose, as the door opened.

The group stood there stunned as Willow entered the room, curious at their reaction. "Why are you all standing there staring at me. Do you not know a jail break when you see one?"

"Willow I could kiss you." Jesse shook his head and smiled. The rest of the group ran to the room as Jesse planted a kiss on her cheek.

Blushing slightly, Willow smiled bashfully. "Aw shucks. I do what I can."

Shalimar hugged her tightly and ruffled her hair.

"We have to get to the Double Helix and shut down the main frame before they can get access to the database. It's encrypted, but it would only be a matter of time before they figure it out." Adam regrouped and gathered the others. "It's likely it's heavily guarded so we'll have to use the secret access tunnel. Let's go."

_The main control room..._

"Guard unit report in. I repeat, guard unit report in," Carver barked. "Sir, there's no response."

"Something's wrong," Augustine signaled for his men, go down to the rig, see what the problem is. "Check it out and report back immediately. I hope our friends haven't gone and done something rash. Carver, what's the word on the database?"

"It's encrypted. It'll take sometime before I break the code." Carver worked frantically.

"Keep on it. Opportunity's like this don't come often," Augustine grew impatient.

"This is Daniels reporting in." A voice rang through the walky-talky.

"Go ahead," Augustine responded.

"The door to the rig is open. I've got two men down. One's dead, the other knocked out," came the response.

"Dammit! They're better than I thought. Alert every man and find them!" Augustine shouted.

_Hanger bay..._

"All units on full alert, I repeat full alert. Subjects are at large." The guards in the bay looked at each other and one grabbed his walky-talky.

"This is hanger unit. Message acknowledged," he spoke into the walky-talky.

The guard looked at the others. "Keep your eyes open."

One guard heard a noise coming from the corner and looked at the others. "Over here. I heard something."

Cautiously approaching the corner, he closed in on a bunch of boxes lying in the corner. Shalimar dropped behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hello handsome." She punched him, with her eyes flashing yellow.

Brennen came into view and threw a burst at a couple of the guards, not before one grabbed his walky-talky. "This is hanger unit. I have a code red, I repeat a code red!"

"That's all of them." Shalimar shouted as the others came out from behind the boxes.

"You guys are just full of surprise aren't you," Willow smiled.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," Emma smiled back.

"Quickly, let's get aboard and get out of here. Jesse we need to find that tracking device and disable it." Adam shouted as he ran aboard.

"Right I'm on it." Jesse joined Adam and turned on the system. "Okay, I found it. It's just under the left wing."

"Brennen?" Adam shouted.

"Yeah, I got it Adam!" Brennen shouted as he used an electrical charge to pry the device from the wing. "Okay I've got it, let's go."

"I can't let you do that," A voice called from behind them. They turned and saw Mattius staring at them with a fireball in his hands.

"Mattius! Mattius! Please don't you recognize me?" Willow ran in front of Shalimar and Emma.

Confused, Mattius turned to her. "Willow? Is that you? You're alive. I can't believe you made it out."

Willow smiled at him. "Yes, I made it out. I'm glad you're okay."

"It's good to see you. I'm glad you're alive." He smiled, and then frowned and shook his head. "But I can't let you go."

"Mattius please. What have they done to you? You're not yourself. Don't you know what they're doing is wrong? Please come with us." She pleaded with him.

"Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast. They're coming!" Jesse shouted from inside the Helix.

"Willow! Come on!" Shalimar shouted.

"NO! I can't let you go!" He shouted just as he was about to shoot a fireball at Shalimar. Emma stepped in front and fired a psionic blast at Mattius knocking him to the floor.

"Come let's go!" Brennen shouted gathering them together and pushing them towards the Helix.

"No! We can't leave him here! We have to take him with us!" Willow shouted at Brennen. Brennen sighed and turned to look around. He ran back to Mattius and picked him up. Throwing him over his shoulder, he ran behind the others up the ramp, just as Augustine and the others came running into the hanger bay.

"Okay, Jesse get us out of here!" Adam shouted.

The Helix's engines fired up and rose with Augustine looking on. Watching the Helix leave the bay, he turned and punched the nearest soldier. "DAMMIT! DAMMIT! I WANT ADAM KANE!"

End of Chapter 6


	7. The Lesser of Two Evils

Chapter 7

The Lesser of Two Evils 

_The Double Helix..._

"That was some pretty impressive work you did back there Willow." Brennen looked at her approvingly, thankful he'd been proven wrong. 

"Thanks, but it was nothing really." Willow modestly looked at him.

"Really?! I couldn't have done that. What did you do to the door?" Shalimar looked back at her.

"I just removed the access panel and input a new code. It's a very simple technique I learned at Genomex," Willow winced at the Genomex reference.

"Well, whatever you did, we owe you one." Shalimar smiled as she approached Willow and kissed her on the head. Willow blushed. She wasn't accustomed to this kind of affection, especially from people she didn't know. Shalimar laughed at her innocent reaction and sat back down. She smiled at Shalimar. In her mind, these guys were starting to grow on her, especially Shalimar.

"Alright, Adam. I'm shutting down the Sanctuary's main frame and transferring it to the other safehouse. Shouldn't be a worry anymore." Jesse sighed with relief knowing the worst was over.

"Good job, take us there." Adam smiled as they could all rest easy for now.

Sanctuary... 

"What do you mean the main frame has been shut down?!" Augustine was beside himself with the recent developments.

"I mean, wherever they went, they shutdown the main frame and transferred the database over to where they're going," Carver answered nervously. "I'm sorry sir, there's nothing I can do. It's gone."

"Worthless piece of shit!! Keep trying. I want that fucking database, you hear me! And don't quit until it's done. Otherwise, you'll be joining the likes of Elvis and Lennon." Augustine was now beginning to lose it.

"Sir?" Carver questioned.

"You heard me Carver," He looked at him. "No mistakes this time. I'm really starting to get annoyed with failure."

"Yes sir!" Carver quickly recovered and set a charge on the computer panel.

"Once you have the computers online, I want you to track the Helix's last known trajectory. I want Adam Kane!" Augustine was now beginning to become obsessed with Adam.

"And the mission, sir?" Carver wondered if Augustine had lost his focus on the task at hand.

"We'll proceed with phase two. Once Mutant X is out of the picture, taking down Genomex shouldn't be a problem." He turned and left.

Safehouse... Mattius tried to move but his head was pounding a drum. "Oh god. Damn." 

"How are you feeling?" Willow came into view as Mattius smiled and relaxed a little.

"Like someone dropped an anvil on my head." Mattius groaned as he held his head.

"Well, Adam said it's from the effects of the implants." Mattius grew nervous at the mention of the implants. "Don't worry, he removed them. You're just feeling the after effects."

"I feel like such a jack ass." Mattius shook his head.

"It wasn't your fault. The implants were pretty intense. I don't think anyone would've been able to resist them."

"Yeah, well, doesn't make me feel any better." Mattius looked at her. "I'm glad your okay. I didn't think anyone made it out alive."

Shalimar came towards the door, but stopped short and listened to their conversation.

"I barely escaped. But Landon and Jade..." Mattius grew sad at the mention of their names. Both of them sat there in silence.

"You know I loved her. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met," Mattius thought back. "I was so close to asking her out, but I was just too nervous."

"She liked you. I think she would've said yes," Willow smiled at the thought. Although she was only with them for a short time, she felt some kind of a kinship with them. "I miss them."

"Me too. I wish they were here." Mattius lied back down and a single tear ran down his face.

"Shalimar." Willow turned and saw her standing in the doorway.

"We're planning what to do next. Adam wants us all there," Shalimar came to her side.

"Okay." She got up from her seat and kissed Mattius on the forehead. "I'll see you later."

"Thank you." Mattius smiled and fell asleep.

Moments later... "No! No! Absolutely not! We can't do that!" Willow shouted in protest. 

"Willow, I'm sorry. We don't have much of a choice. This is the only logical course of action," Adam said as Emma tried to calm Willow down.

"But joining with Genomex!? Adam they can't be trusted!" Willow cried as she tried to plead her case.

"I agree but desperate times call for desperate measures. And at times like this, sometimes it's best to have a necessary evil on your side. Look I you don't like this..." Adam put his hands on her shoulders.

She quickly moved away from his grasp and stormed out. "No I hate it!"

Shalimar turned and looked at Adam. "Are you sure this is necessary?"

Adam shook his head. "I don't think we have much of a choice."

Shalimar smiled in understanding. "Well, this wouldn't be the first time we would've had to call a truce."

"I just hope she learns to understand." Adam sighed.

Shalimar turned and left the others to find Willow.

_Safehouse rooftop..._

Willow sat on the rooftop, staring blankly out towards the city. The lights looked so beautiful at night and sometimes she couldn't help but get lost in them. Her senses heightened when she sensed an approaching presence from behind her. She turned and acknowledged Shalimar's presence.

"Mind if I join you?" Shalimar inquired.

"It's a free country." Willow didn't look at her, but continued to look out on the city.

"You climb roofs often?" Shalimar asked sitting down beside her.

Willow nodded, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah, it's really peaceful up here sometimes. I would usually climb the sides of the buildings and sit up on the tallest roof. Sometimes I would stay up there for hours and just listen to the sounds. It was the only place I truly felt safe."

"That must have been hard for you. Not having anywhere to go, no one to turn to. I felt like that once and then I ended up with Mutant X. It seemed to give me a sense of purpose. A place I could feel accepted for what I was and be with people like me." Shalimar stared out as well and understood Willow's sediment. She turned to Willow and put her fingers under her chin, turning her eyes to meet hers. "Adam would never put you in danger if there wasn't a way out. We've beaten the GSA before, we can do it again. I promise you, I will never let them have you."

Willow looked into her eyes and saw the truth in them. She looked down and nodded. She looked back up at her. "Alright. I'll go with it. But you owe me."

Shalimar smiled. "Big time."

Willow giggled and Shalimar put her arm around her. "You know back at the Sanctuary, I startled you pretty good there. Sorry about that."

Willow smiled shyly and looked at Shalimar. "Actually, it's not that you startled me. I sensed you were there when I was waking up. It actually tickled me. I don't like being tickled."

Shalimar looked at her and laughed. "Oh it did, did it? So that's what that fuss was about?!"

Willow laughed and settled in Shalimar's arms. The two looked out at the city skyline, enjoying the quiet moment.

_Genomex..._

"Adam." Eckhart was surprised by his visit. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"Spare me the pleasantries Mason, you know why I'm here." Adam snapped swallowing his pride.

"Augustine." Eckhart nodded in agreement. "I trust, judging by the look on your face, you've renewed his acquaintance."

"Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? I know you want him out of the way. He's been causing you just as much trouble as he has with me." Adam sat down, staring down Eckhart.

"You were never one to mence words. Yes, I must say his presence has caused a disruption in business. He has been rather slippery and the longer he's allowed to go about his business, the more dangerous he'll become." Eckhart rose from his chair. "So what exactly is it you're proposing?"

"A temporary truce. A seizure of hostilities for the time being, until Augustine is put out of business for good." Adam's eyes never left Eckhart.

"I'm not gonna pretend I don't know that Ms. Fox is in your possession, Adam. You have something I want. Turn her over to my custody and we have a deal," Eckhart reasoned.

"No deal. She's made her choice and I will have no part of it," Adam turned to walk out.

"Wait!" Adam paused and turned when he sensed Eckhart had no choice. "Perhaps we can clear up the Augustine matter first, then we can discuss Ms. Fox. Please sit back down. Now, what exactly did you have in mind?"

_The Double Helix..._

"Alright, you know the plan. The idea is to draw out Augustine and his men. I have a feeling he's a bit angry at our sudden escape and the temptation to find us might be to great for him to hold back."

"You're certain this is gonna work." Brennen was unsure as to whether or not Augustine was that desperate.

"If they take the bait, like clockwork," Adam reassured him. "Willow's gonna hack into their computer and try to download their network. The idea is to make it traceable so they'll pick up on it right away. If Augustine is that desperate enough, he'll take the bait and they'll fall into our trap."

"And then the GSA takes Augustine into custody." Emma added.

"A man like Augustine is too dangerous to have around. I think Eckhart will want to take him out permanently," Adam was sure he knew Mason's intentions.

"And what about Willow? She'll be in a very vulnerable position. The GSA might try to make a move on her," Shalimar looked at Adam.

"Emma and I will be with her. She'll be fine," Adam reassured her.

"I just don't understand why she can't use the computer in the Helix to hack into the system," Shalimar shook her head.

"Because Helix's computer system is untraceable. With the computer main frame she'll be using, the Helix would scramble the trace. It would all be for not if Augustine can't trace the signal to its source," Adam explained. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"Okay, because I'll kill anyone who comes within spitting distance of her," Shalimar said with certainty.

Brennen laughed at her protectiveness and hugged her. Just then Mattius came into the room. They all smiled and Adam approached him. "You're looking a lot better."

"I feel better thanks. Thanks for everything." He looked at Adam and paused. "I was just wondering if you guys could use another hand."

Adam nodded and welcomed him. "We could always use more help. Okay guys, let's go."

_The Factory..._

It took sometime for Willow to set up. The general mood was one of anxiety and anticipation hoping that the plan would work. She sat down at the console and began her work.

"Alright. I'm attempting to get into their system." Typing frantically, she finally found the password for their interface. "Bingo! Guys, I'm in."

_Sanctuary..._

"Sir? I've picked up a signal coming from a source not far from here. It seems, whoever it is, is trying to access our network." Carver turned to Augustine.

"Locate it!" Augustine demanded.

"Ten miles south of New York. The mill factory," Carver replied.

"You just don't know when to quit Adam do you? Let's saddle up," Augustine ordered.

"Sir, may I interject a thought? They're operating on an old system. Now judging by the detection of the hack and the trace, I would say they're trying to lure us. Judging by the technology they've employed, I'd say this was bait," Carver's theory was immediately scoffed at by Augustine.

"I SAID SADDLE UP! If Kane wants to lure us into a fight, well we're gonna give him one he'll never forget." Augustine was now consumed with sticking it to Adam.

"Yes, sir." Carver shook his head in an I-told-you-so manner.

_The Factory..._

"How long before we know they took the bait?" Emma was starting to become overwhelmed with the emotions running through everyone.

"The trace should've been picked up right away. Judging by the connection, they're not too far away. I think we'll know fairly soon." Willow sat looking at Emma. "Where's Adam?"

Emma looked around a little confused. "Hmmm, I don't know. Adam are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way up." Adam responded.

They heard a noise coming from the hallway. "Something's not right here." Emma grabbed her crutches and when to the door. She went around to the door, and got knocked over the head. Willow immediately rose from her chair and backed up towards the window.

"Well done, Ms. Fox. You've made me proud and proven yourself worthy," Willow turned to saw Eckhart and Larkin standing in the doorway hold an unconscious Emma at gun point. "Any attempt to escape and Ms. DeLauro dies."

Willow stood and stared down Eckhart, as several GSA agents entered the room and grabbed her.

"It's unfortunate you won't be able to enjoy the fruits of your labors with Mutant X," Eckhart said as she was stunned by the agent.

_Downstairs..._

"Anything?" Brennen was pacing back and forth.

"Not yet." Shalimar replied as she tried to sense any activity.

"Brennen, will you stop that, you're making me nervous," Jesse sat nervously.

"Sorry, man. I can't sit still at the moment. This whole setup is making me nervous." Brennen stopped temporarily, but resumed his pacing.

"Yeah, well, I think we're all a little uneasy with this," Shalimar added. She stopped and sensed something. "Something's coming this way guys. I think this could be it."

"Adam. We've got something headed this way. Could be Augustine," Brennen said.

"Right. I'm just on my way up to get Emma and Willow. We'll head to the Helix," Adam replied through the com ring.

"Gotcha. It's game time," Brennen said, as the others left got up to prepare with the GSA agents waiting along with them.

Upstairs... 

Adam felt eerie as he approached the room. As he entered the room, he found an unconscious Emma lying on the floor. He ran to her side.

"Emma! Emma!" Adam held her in his arms. She started to stir a little.

"My head." Emma she looked around the room to clear her head.

"Take it easy. You have a nasty bump. What happened? Where's Willow?" Adam looked around for any signs of Willow.

"I don't know. We heard a noise coming from the hall. I went to check it out and then everything went black." Emma tried to shake the bugs out.

"Take it easy. It's alright. Come on let's get you to the Helix." Adam sighed, helping Emma to her feet as they slowly made their way out of the room.

Downstairs... 

Brennen, Shalimar, Jesse, Mattius and several agents hid in the shadows of the factory as Augustine and his men came flying out of their vehicles.

Augustine stood in front of the factory looking it over. "Adam! I know you and your people are in there! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Brennen looked at the others. "Let's go, come on." They all followed him out of the front towards the boiler room.

"Alright. Let's move in gentlemen. Kill the others, but Kane is mine." Augustine said as the others followed him into the factory.

Looking around, one of the soldiers approached Augustine. "They're not in here, sir."

"They're around here somewhere. Follow me."

Augustine approached the boiler room. Cautiously, Augustine entered the room. "Spread out."

Brennen and Shalimar were hiding behind a giant kiln as several soldiers where headed in their direction. He turned to her and nodded. The two of them jumped out from behind the kiln attacking the soldiers. "NOW!!"

Just as he said that, the GSA agents opened fire on the soldiers. Augustine turned with surprise "Well, well. You're just full of surprises aren't you Adam." He ran to take cover from the gunfire and search for Adam.

Mattius threw fireballs at oncoming soldiers as Jesse deflected gunfire. The heat in the boiler room became almost unbearable as steam rose everywhere. Augustine ran up a set of stairs, looking around. A GSA agent came running at him firing frantically. Augustine rose his arm and sent the agent flying over the rail. "Where are you Kane?!"

Shalimar and Brennen fought back to back as Brennen fired electricity to prevent the soldiers from getting a clear shot at them.

Augustine ran on the second level, frustrated at having no success at finding Adam. He saw a door at the end of the corridor and ran towards it, but he stopped dead in his tracks. Mason stepped out from behind the door with a gun in his hands.

"Well, well. Mason it's been a long time. Until now, I was beginning to think that you didn't have the guts to show your face in public." Augustine approached him with fire in his eyes. "You know I was looking for Adam Kane, but, this even better. You're what this little operation is all about."

"I'm honored Samuel. Unfortunately the train stops here." Eckhart cautiously approached him.

"Yes, here indeed." Augustine smiled as he lifted the gun from Eckhart's hand and raised Eckhart above the rail. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

He through Eckhart against a wall, as several GSA agents came to his aid. "What coincidence, so have I." Augustine turned around as Mattius held two fireballs in his hand. "This is for Landon and Jade!"

He shot them at Augustine. Augustine caught them both, but as he was distracted, Brennen came up from behind and shot electricity at Augustine sending him over the rail. Mattius looked over the rail. Shalimar and Jesse joined them at the top looking down at Augustine's lifeless body.

The surviving GSA agents helped Eckhart to his feet. Mason stood for a moment staring at the group. "Let's go." They looked on as Mason and his men disappeared out of sight.

The Double Helix... 

"Adam! Good news. Augustine's out of the picture and the few soldiers left under his command are fleeing." Brennen, Jesse, Shalimar and Mattius came running into the Helix to see a disorientated Emma and a solemn Adam.

"What happened?" Shalimar went to Emma's side. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I just got knocked over the head, but I'm fine." Emma looked at her slightly dazed.

Shalimar searched for Willow, but frowned when there was no sight of her. "Where's Willow?"

"I think the GSA's got her. Emma was attacked, when I went up to the room, I found her on the floor and Willow was gone." Adam sat down sensing Shalimar's growing anger.

"We need to get her back. If what Augustine told us about the xenocium is true, they could end up killing her," Shalimar had a sense of urgency in her voice. All she could think about was getting to Willow.

"I thought it was kind of weird that Eckhart showed up." Brennen looked at Adam.

"Eckhart was here? Dammit, I should've known better. I should've known that he would use this situation to his advantage," Adam sat beating himself up. He looked at Shalimar and approached her. "We'll get her back. I promise."

Shalimar looked at him. "I know."

End of Chapter 7

Phewwww, that was a long one. Took me forever to write. Let me know what you think.


	8. Into the Belly of the Beast

Chapter 8 

Into the Belly of the Beast

_Genomex..._

The lab was rather dark, just as Willow remembered it, except for a single light that shone down on her. She scrunched her eyes in response and tried to move. Struggling against the restraints, she tried to use her feral powers to break them.

"Don't bother wasting your energy. The restraints are designed to hold people of your...abilities. Your struggle will just make it more difficult for you." Eckhart stepped out from the darkness, satisfied that Willow was back were she belonged.

Willow said nothing but continued to stare at Eckhart. Her eyes flashed red as she continued to struggle against her restraints, snarling at Eckhart. "Now Ms. Fox, is that anyway to treat your family?"

"Family?! Huh, you're no family. You ruined my life! I'll never work for you, you hear me?!" Eckhart turned his back on her and walked away. "NEVER!"

As he left the room, he turned to the scientist observing. "Administer the xenocium as soon as possible."

The Double Helix... 

"We're directly over Genomex," Emma said looking at the others.

"Go to stealth mode and land us just beside the complex," Adam said.

The Helix disappeared from view. As soon as the Helix landed, Shalimar immediately rose from her seat and walked towards the ramp.

"Shalimar! Wait! I know you itching to go in there, but we go in as a team," Adam stepped in front of her. Shalimar looked at him and sighed in defeat. Adam looked at the others, "Should you guys be detected, Emma and Brennen will be the decoy, while you and Jesse search for Willow. Matt and I will stay here and monitor your positions from here."

Mattius stood up. "Wait! I'd like to go along." They all turned to him. "She's my friend and I'd like to help her."

Adam nodded, "Alright, I watch your back. Keep the channel open, I'll keep an eye on you guys from here."

They ran down the ramp towards Genomex. Coming to the side of the building, Jesse went to the front of the pack and phased the wall, allowing the others to pass through. Taking a final look around, he followed.

"You guys are in the clear. No guards around. Shalimar, Willow's in a room on the other side of the building. Emma and Brennen, you're the backup, if Shalimar, Matt and Jesse get in trouble, the two of you will draw guards away." Adam spoke through the com rings.

"Okay guys, we've got your back." Brennen walked up to Shalimar and put a hand on her shoulder. "Be careful."

She looked in his eyes and nodded. "You too."

Brennen looked on as the others disappeared out of sight. Emma gave him a small grin as he shook his head.

"Okay, Shalimar your gonna make a right at the next corridor. Your gonna take the second door down that hall." They quickly made their way, following Adam's directions to the door. "Okay you're in the clear. The nearest guard is 50 feet away. There are two guards around Willow's location, but the path is clear. Be as quiet as you can and this should be a walk in the park."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Shalimar looked around as the three of them entered the door Adam referred.

"Alright proceed to the second level down and within about twenty feet, you should come to another door. You'll wanna go through that, but be careful, there are two guards just around the corner and any noise made will tip 'em off."

Jesse turned to the two of them and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll handle this." Jesse phased through the wall. Peeking through, Jesse remained phased looking for the guard's exact location. Pulling himself back through the wall. He positioned himself in the area of the guards and re-phased through the wall. Grabbing the two guards, he butted their heads, knocking them out. Shalimar and Matt waited, when Jesse opened the door. "Like I said, it's all taken care of."

They ran into the joining hallway and approached another door. "This must be it."

"You guys don't have a lot of time. There are agents heading in your direction, so make it quick. Brennen, Emma, we might need you, move in."

"We're on our way," Emma replied, as the two of them ran further into the building.

Inside the lab... 

Having used a lot of her energy in a frivolous attempt to escape, Willow fell asleep. Having heard the door open, she opened her eyes and turned to see Shalimar and Mattius coming into the room.

A sense of relief and disbelief went through as they approached her. "Shalimar! Matt!"

Shalimar kissed her forehead and quickly released her restraints. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah." She looked at her. "You came for me. Why did you come for me?"

"I promised you I wouldn't let them have you. I always keep promises to my friends." Shalimar extended her hand.

Willow smiled and took her hand, as Shalimar helped her up. "When this is all over, you and I have something to talk about."

Willow looked at her in wonder and nodded.

Voice from the hallway called into the room. "Hurry up guys, we're gonna have company."

Holding Willow's hand, Shalimar led her and the others into the corridor. Brennen and Emma met them halfway, just as a group of GSA agents spotted them making a break for it.

Brennen and Mattius shot back at the agents allowing the others to get Willow away from the commotion.

"Brennen! Matt! Come on!" Shalimar looked back, seeing the distance growing between them.

Brennen glanced back towards them and looked at Mattius. "Come on."

Mattius fired of two more fireballs, taking out a bunch of approaching agents and turned to join the others.

"Jesse! We're gonna need a quick exit!" Brennen shouted.

"One exit coming right up!" Jesse phased out the wall and waited as the others passed through.

"Adam! We're on our way! Fire up the bird!" Brennen shouted as they approached the cloaked Helix. The engines fired up as the ramp dropped and everyone boarded just as a handful of GSA agents came bursting outside, firing their weapons. The Helix ramp closed and took off into the night, leaving Genomex in its dust.

Adam approached Shalimar and Willow, noticing she was slightly disorientated. "You okay?" He put his hand on her back.

She looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, just feeling a little woozy." Looking up at them, she shook her head. "Thanks, I don't know what would've happened if you guys hadn't come for me."

Adam smiled. "We're just glad your okay."

"I am now." She looked at Shalimar and felt a profound sense of relief.

"Jesse, bring the Sanctuary's main frame back on line. I think it's time we went home." Adam sat in his chair, silently thank God, for the incredible hand they'd been dealt.

"I'm on it. It's gonna be good to get home." Jesse smiled. "Okay, systems back online."

"Well done guys. And we have Willow to thank for a lot of it." Adam turned to a now blushing Willow. Shalimar and the others nodded in agreement.

"You rock, Willow," Mattius smiled at Willow.

Willow laughed and shook her head. "Thanks Matt."

End of Chapter 8

Nope, not over yet. We still have one important matter to take care of. Please review my story and let me know what y'all think.


	9. We Are Family

Chapter 9

We Are Family 

_Genomex..._

"This is most distressing news Mr. Larkin," Eckhart shook his head in disgust. 

"I personally accept all responsibility, sir." Larkin had a nervous lump in his throat. He stood in Eckhart's presence, afraid of what was to come next.

"You're right, Mr. Larkin. I do hold you responsible. And I don't tolerate failure." He looked up at him. "Take him."

Larkin looked frantic as the GSA guards took him into their custody and carted him off. Eckhart got up from his chair and glanced down into the pod room. "You can't keep her forever, Adam. She will be back here where she belongs."

_Sanctuary..._ Mattius was packing a sack, as Willow entered the room. He glanced behind sensing her presence and smiled. 

"You leaving?" Willow approached him.

"Yeah, looks like you're thinking of staying." He took her hand in his.

Willow shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't decided yet. Now that Genomex can't track me, I was thinking of trying to find my family. I mean, I have to have some kind of roots you know. Not that I'm not grateful for all they've done for me, but I need some answers. I'd like to know where I came from and how I ended up at Genomex."

Mattius agreed. "I understand. Why don't you come with me? We'd make a pretty good team."

Willow laughed and kissed his cheek. "I'd like to but, I think this is something I have to do on my own. Maybe I'll meet up with you later."

"I hope you find what you're looking for. Take care of yourself." Mattius kissed her. "Stay out of trouble."

"You too." Willow smiled as she watched her friend leave.

Willow sat alone, lost in her thoughts, not noticing Shalimar walking up behind her. "Hey."

Woken from her daydream, she turned to her. "Hey."

Shalimar sat down beside her. "You decided what you're gonna do?"

Willow looked at her. "I'm really grateful for all you guys have done for me. I am tempted to stay and see how things turn out. I just have some unanswered questions in my mind, that I just need to know. Where I came from, how I ended up here. If I have any family, maybe I can learn something about myself."

"I can understand that. For the longest time, I had a lot of unanswered questions too. Both my parents are, I didn't know if I had any other family living. But these guys became my family. I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother or a sister. Until I had these guys, I didn't know either. It leaves an empty void." Shalimar played this moment in her head over and over again wondering how she was gonna break it to her.

"Yeah, it does. Did you ever find the answers?" Willow had genuinely hoped that Shalimar had found peace of mind. She cared about her deeply and truly wanted her to be happy.

"Well, I recently found out I have a kid sister. She'd be about your age," Shalimar looked up at her.

Willow beamed and hugged her. "Really!? That's great. I'm so happy for you. What's her name?"

Shalimar hesitated for a moment, but just decided to go for broke. It was now or never. "Her name's Willow."

The smile on Willow's face had been replaced by a look of shock. Her eyes began to mist up as her mind tried to register what she just had been told. _Could it be_, she thought. Shalimar put her arm around her, as her eyes became misty as well. "Yes, it's you, Willow."

Willow began to cry. "You're the answer?" Her mind was dancing. Things were happening so fast that she didn't know which way to turn. Shalimar pulled her into her arms and cried with her.

They sat there for several moments, until Shalimar released her, wiping the tears off Willow's face. "I help you find the answers." She held out her hand to Willow. "Come with me." Willow accepted her gesture and they left the Sanctuary.

_Somewhere on a highway..._ The speed was so intoxicating, she smiled as she tightly held on. Feeling like she was flying, the experience was like nothing she had ever felt before. Shalimar smiled as she could smell the adrenaline coming from Willow. They were so much alike indeed, she thought to herself. 

Pulling off the road down and entering what looked like a park, Shalimar slowed her speed down as they entered a graveyard. Coming to a stop, Shalimar pulled her helmet off and Willow followed suit.

"You liked that?" Shalimar smiled.

"That was fun." Willow smiled as her dimples melted Shalimar's heart.

Shalimar laughed and took her hand. "Come this way."

They passed by many gravestones until Shalimar guided them to a pair of gravestones slightly separated from the others. Willow's eyes watered once she read the name Fox on the two stones. Shalimar put her arm around her. "These were our parents."

A tear ran down Willow's face, as Shalimar brushed some stray hairs out of her face. "All these years, I wondered what it would be liked to have a mother and father. Now I know what it's like to lose them." She looked into Shalimar's eyes. "You're all that I have, it seems."

"No. Not just me." Shalimar reached into her pocket and pulled out a box. She handed it to Willow. "You have all of us. You never have to be alone again. Maybe you and I can learn from each other."

Willow opened the box to find a com ring waiting. She took out the ring and put it on her finger. Her eyes lit up when marks appeared on the ring.

"The marks are unique to your DNA sequence. It's your ring." Shalimar looked at her. "You have a home with Mutant X, but the choice is yours to make."

"It's already made." She went into Shalimar's embrace. For the first time in her life, she felt at home.

The End

Coming up Part 2 of the "Blood Is Thicker" series.

Simple Duties

Willow quickly discovers that being part of Mutant X isn't always about playing hero.

Well folks what did you think? I hope y'all liked it. There's many more to come, my mind is just crawling with stories.


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